THE    LOFTONS    AND    PINKERTONS, 


II,  * 


"f.    -  *** 


SPARING  TO  SPEND; 


OR, 

• 


THE  LOFTON8  AND  PINKEETONS. 


BY  T.  S.  ARTHUR 


NEW  YORK: 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER,  145  NASSAU  STREET. 
1853. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1853,  by  . 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


TOBITT'S  COMBINATION-TYPE, 
181  William-st. 


P5 


PREFACE. 


The  purpose  of  this  volume,  as  the  title 
indicates,  is  to  exhibit  the  evils  that  flow 
from  the  too  common  lack  of  prudence, 
self-denial  and  economy  in  young  people, 
at  the  beginning  of  life  ;  and  also  to  show, 
in  contrast,  the  beneficial  results  of  a  wise 
restriction  of  the  wants  to  the  means.  This 
is  a  lesson  which  cannot  be  too  often  re 
peated  nor  too  forcibly  illustrated.  Extrav 
agant  expenditure — living  beyond  the  means 
— is  the  besetting  evil  of  social  life  in  this 
country,  from  the  mechanic,  or  salaried 
clerk,  up  to  the  "  merchant  prince "  whd" 


1213327 


PREFACE. 

will  be  satisfied  with  nothing  less  than  a 
palace  for  a  dwelling.  "  SPARING  TO  SPEND  " 
has  for  its  aim  the  correction  of  this  evil,  in 
so  far  as  an  exhibition  of  its  folly,  and  the 
peace,  prosperity  and  happiness  almost  cer 
tain  to  flow  from  an  opposite  course  of  life, 
can  effect  so  desirable  an  object.  "  A  word 
for  the  wise"  is  often  "sufficient."  Hap 
pily,  in  all  classes  are  those  who  need  only 
the  clear  presentation  of  a  truth,  to  lead  to 
its  adoption.  In  these  lie  the  hope  of  the 
moral  teacher,  and  for  these  he  fails  not  in 
the  constant  utterance  of  his  "line  upon 
line,  and  precept  upon  precept."  For  the 
sake  of  these,  he  casts,  confidently,  his 
bread  upon  the  waters,  knowing  that  it  will 
"return  after  many  days." 


CHAPTER    I. 

IT  was  an  evening  in  spring,  and  two  young 
men,  named  Archibald  Lofton  and  Mark  Pinker- 
ton,  had  just  arisen  from  the  tea-table,  and  were 
standing  at  the  window  of  their  boarding-house, 
looking  out  upon  the  passing  crowd.  Just  oppo 
site  was  a  new  building  yet  unfinished.  Against 
this,  large  bills  were  posted ;  and  on  one  of  them, 
in  letters  a  foot  long,  was  the  imposing  name  of 
<;  MRS.  WOOD,"  as  visible  by  the  strong  glare  of 
the  gas  lamp,  as  if  day  were  abroad.  The  word 
"  CINDERELLA,"  in  smaller  letters,  yet  bold  and 
distinct,  was  displayed  a  little  way  beneath. 

"  Cinderella,    to-night !"    exclaimed    the    one 


8  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

named  Pinkerton.  "I  must  hear  Mrs.  "Wood 
again.  Come,  Archie,  won't  you  go  ?" 

Lofton  shook  his  head,  as  he  replied — 

"  I  believe  not,  Mark.  I've  heard  her  once  in 
Somnambula,  and  that  must  suffice.  These 
pleasures  are  rather  expensive  for  a  young  man 
on  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars." 

"  What's  half  a  dollar  !"  exclaimed  Pinkerton, 
almost  contemptuously.  "  I  think  a  night  at  the 
opera,  with  such  a  vocalist  as  Mrs.  Wood  to 
ijvitch  the  soul  into  Elysium,  one  of  the  cheapest 
pleasures  to  be  found." 

"  It  may  be  cheap  to  those  who  can  afford  it," 
said  Lofton.  "  But,  with  me,  half-dollars  have 
never  been  over  plenty." 

"  Ah,  Archie,  Archie !"  replied  Pinkerton, 
speaking  with  mock  gravity,  "  I'm  afraid  you're 
growing  in  love  with  filthy  lucre.  Don't  I  know 
that  you've  got  two  hundred  dollars  in  the 
Savings'  Fund  now?  Half-dollars  not  over  plen 
ty  !  Ah,  Archie,  Archie  !" 

Lofton  smiled  at  this  sally,  and  replied,  good- 
humoredly — 

"  How  long  do  you  think  it  has  taken  me  to 
save  two  hundred  dollars  out  of  my  small  in 
come  ?" 

"  Ten  years." 


SPARING   TO    SPKM).  9 

"  No ;  but  jesting  aside  ?" 

"  Five  years  ?" 

"  Just  two  years." 

"  What !  you  hav'nt  lived  on  three  hundred 
dollars  a  year  for  two  years  ?" 

"  I  have." 

"  Impossible  !  why,  I  get  six  hundred,  as  you 
know,  and  have  never  yet  been  able  to  coine  out 
even." 

"  I  don't  much  wonder  at  that,"  said  Lofton. 

"  Nor  do  I,  either,"  replied  Pinkerton,  with 
shrug.     "  The  salary  is  too  small." 

"  It  is  two  hundred  dollars  more  than  I  re 
ceive,"  was  the  other's  answer ;  "  and  yet,  I  have 
something  over  at  the  end  of  each  quarter." 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  manage,  I'm  sure." 

"  I  pay  as  much  for  boarding  as  you  do  ?" 

« I  know." 

"  Our  clothes  are  made  by  the  same  tailor.' 

"  What  is  your  bill  a  year  ?"  asked  Pinkerton, 
abruptly. 

"  It  was  seventy  dollars  last  year,"  answered 
Lofton. 

"  Seventy  dollars !  Why,  mine  was  a  hundred 
and  seventy." 

"The  difference  of  one  hundred  dollars — just 


10  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

the  sum  I  was  able  to  place  in  the  Savings' 
Fund." 

"  A  hundred  dollars'  difference,"  said  Pinker- 
ton,  in  a  musing,  perplexed  tone  of  voice.  "  I 
can't  understand  it.  You  never  look  shabby. 
You're  always  well  dressed, — though  not  in  tip 
top  style,  —  if  anything,  a  little  behind  the 
fashion  of  the  day." 

"  Whoever  attempts  to  keep  even  with  that, 
must  have  a  pretty  deep  purse,"  replied  Lofton. 
"  So  I  never  permit  myself  to  think  about  the 
fashions,  beyond  what  is  needful  in  order  to 
avoid  singularity."  ~4t 

"How  many  new  coats  did  you  have  last 
year  ?"  asked  Pinkerton. 

"  One." 

"  Only  one  ?  I  had  three ;  and  two  of  them 
cost  thirty  dollars  a-piece.  So  there  is  a  differ 
ence  of  sixty  dollars  in  two  items." 

"  Three  coats.  What  in  the  world  did  you 
want  with  three  coats  ?" 

"  As  an  Irishman  would  say,  one  of  them  was 
a  cloak." 

"  The  Spanish  mantle  you  wore  last  winter  ?" 

«  Yes." 

Did'nt  you  get  a  drab  surtout  at  the  same 
time  I  got  mine  ?"  asked  Lofton. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  11 

"  I  did ;  and  it's  almost  as  good  as  new,  yet. 
They  wear  for  ever.  But,  drab  surtouts  are  going 
out  of  fashion." 

"  I  saw  hundreds  of  them  last  winter." 

"  So  did  I.  But  I  can't  bear  the  look  of  them 
since  the  graceful  Spanish  cloak  is  worn:  they 
look  so  stiff  and  methodistical,  with  their  tight 
bodies,  and  rows  of  capes." 

Lofton  shook  his  head  as  he  replied — 

"  I  don't  wonder  that  you  find  six  hundred  dol 
lars  inadequate  to  your  wants,  if  you  permit  a 
weak  and  truant  fancy  to  trifle  with  your  judg 
ment  at  this  rate.  Your  drab  coat  was  scarcely 
soiled,  and  would  have  worn  you,  in  credit,  as  I 
expect  mine  to  do,  for  four  or  five  winters  to 
come." 

"  Four  or  five  winters  1  Why,  bless  me,  Archie  1 
You  don't  expect  to  go  about  in  that  old  drab  coat 
of  yours,  for  the  next  four  or  five  winters  ?" 

"  And  why  not,  Mark,  if  it  is  in  good  condi 
tion  ?" 

"  Oh,  you'll  make  yourself  ridiculous.  You'll 
mar  your  prospects  in  life.  A  young  man,  to 
gain  credit  with  the  world,  must  show  some 
spirit;  some  ambition  to  be  like  other  people. 
This  plodding,  saving,  pinching  mode  of  getting 
along  doesn't  answer.  It's  had  its  day.  The 


12  SPAK1NG   TO    SPEND. 

world  is  going  faster  than  it  went  when  our  fa 
thers  were  as  young  as  we,  and  if  we  would  keep 
pace  with  the  general  movement,  we  must  quick 
en  our  steps.  You  think  my  thirty  dollar  cloak 
a  dear  bargain,  no  doubt  ?" 

"  A  very  dear  bargain,  in  my  opinion,"  said 
Lofton.  "  It  has  deprived  you  of  just  so  much 
money ;  and,  depend  upon  it,  money  in  hand  is  a 
young  man's  best  friend." 

"  Why,  Lofton  !  What  a  sordid  idea !  I  really 
believe  this  saving  spirit  is  going  to  bring  the 
dollar  so  near  to  your  eyes,  that  you  will  soon  be 
able  to  see  nothing  else." 

"  I  hope  not.  I  trust  ever  to  keep  my  heart 
above  the  love  of  money  for  its  own  sake.  But 
to  a  young  man,  who  seeks  advancement  in  the 
world,  money  is  a  staff  and  a  helper — a  friend 
that  will  stand  by  him  when  other  friendships 
fail.  Yes,  Pinkerton,  I  think  your  Spanish  man 
tle,  a  full  circle  though  it  be,  and  graceful  to  the 
eye,  one  of  your  dear  bargains." 

"I  will  demonstrate  the  contrary,"  said  the 
young  man.  "  Know,  then,  that  I  got  so  out  of 
heart,  last  winter,  with  rny  old  drab  coat,  that  I 
was  actually  ashamed  to  go  to  church.  Two 
Sundays  I  absented  myself.  Then  I  grew  des 
perate,  and  ordered  a  new  Spanish  mantle  to  be 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  13 

m  ade  in  the  tip  of  the  mode.  It  came  home  on 
Saturday  night,  and,  on  Sunday,  proud  as  a  lord— 
and,  excuse  my  vanity,  looking  like  one — I  re 
appeared  at  St.  Paul's.  I  felt  that  I  was  making 
a  sensation,  as  I  passed  down  the  aisle,  and  was 
by  no  means  astonished,  after  getting  fairly  com 
posed  in  the  pew  where  I  sit,  to  find  more  than 
one  pair  of  bright  eyes  fixed  upon  me.  And 
there  was  one  pair,  brighter  and  more  heavenly 
than  the  rest.  Ah !  Archie,  how  often  had  I 
striven  to  win  a  glance  of  interest  from  those 
beautiful  orbs ;  yet  they  ever  looked  on  me,  if 
they  looked  at  all,  with  frigid  indifference.  It 
was  not  so,  now.  The  impression  I  desired  was 
at  last  made.  The  cloak  had  done  the  work !" 

"  And  so  the  lady  thought  more  of  the  cloak 
than  the  man,"  said  Lofton. 

"  Not  at  all,  my  friend.  One  of  the  short 
sighted  and  too  direct  inferences  which  men  of 
your  peculiar  character  of  mind  are  apt  to  make. 
The  cloak  was  the  exponent  of  the  man." 

"  Ah  !  I  see." 

"  Do  you,  Archie  ?  "Well,  I'm  glad  to  have 
brightened  your  ideas  a  little.  The  cloak,  I  re 
peat,  was  the  exponent  of  the  man.  It  showed 
what  was  in  him.  Exhibited  him  as  a  man  of 
the  time — a  progressive  man." 


14  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  Go  on,"  said  Lofton,  with  affected  gravity. 

"  That  pair  of  bright  eyes,  Archie  1  The  glances 
I  received  from  them,  on  that  morning,  were 
worth  the  price  of  a  dozen  cloaks." 

"  Always  provided  you  have  the  money  to  pur 
chase  them,"  replied  Lofton. 

"Faugh.  You  havn't  a  grain  of  sentiment, 
Archie !  I  never  saw  a  man  who  seemed  to  take 
such  a  malicious  pleasure  in  throwing  cold  water 
on  another's  enthusiasm." 

•s 

"  But  who  is  the  owner  of  those  heavenly  eyes 
that  so  enchanted  you  ?" 

"  The  daughter  of  old  Eaynor." 

"  The  wine  merchant  1" 

"  Yes.  Angela  Raynor.  Isn't  she  a  splendid 
creature ;  and  worth  a  plum  into  the  bargain  ?" 

"  She  may  be  worth  a  dozen  plums,  Mark ;  but 
their  falling  into  your  basket  is  another  matter, 
altogether." 

"  You  think  so  ?" 

"  I  do." 

"  Very  well.  You'll  see.  But  let  me  finish 
my  story.  On  the  next  Sunday,  I  was  at  church, 
again.  Miss  Raynor  was  there,  and  quite  as 
much  interested  in  your  humble  servant  as  be 
fore.  For  some  four  or  five  Sundays,  our  ogling 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  15 

acquaintance  was  kept  up,  when,  as  good  fortune 
would  have  it,  I  met  her  at  a  party,  was  intro 
duced,  and  spent,  in  her  charming  company,  the 
most  delightful  evening  of  my  life.  80  much  for* 
my  Spanish  mantle." 

"  What  does  all  that  signify  ?"  asked  Lofton. 
"  To  me  it  is  significant  of  a  rich  wife.     Am 
I  sufficiently  explicit  ?" 
"  Quite  so." 

"  I  think  even  you  will  call  my  cloak  a  bargain, 
if  all  comes  out  according  to  present  indications." 
"  And  you   are  really   serious,   Mark,  in  this 
matter  ?" 

"  Never  was  more  so  in  my  life,  I  can  assure 
you.  I  hav'nt  called  upon  Miss  Raynor  yet,  but 
expect  to  do  so  very  soon.  We  speak  on  the 
street,  and  in  the  aisle,  when  passing  from  church 
on  Sundays  :  and  the  way  her  countenance  bright 
ens  when  our  glances  meet,  tells  plainly  enough 
the  state  of  her  feelings.  Next  Sunday,  if  all 
things  favor,  I'm  going  to  walk  home  with  her." 
"  Setting  aside  all  the  probabilities  of  success 
in  this  wife  speculation  of  yours,"  said  Lofton, 
seriously,  "  let  me  enquire  as  to  what  you  know 
of  the  mental  and  moral  qualities  of  Miss  Ray 
nor." 


16  SPAB.ING    TO    SPEND. 

"  1  ask  no  better  index  to  character  than  the 
face." 

"  Far,  very  far,  from  a  reliable  index,"  answer 
ed  Lofton. 

"  Reliable  enough,  in  the  present  instance," 
said  Pinkerton.  "  But  time  passes.  Lend  me 
half  a  dollar,  if  you  please ;  I  hav'nt  a  copper  in 
my  pocket — spent  my  last  dollar  to-day,  for  a  cane 
that  struck  my  fancy.  Unfortunately,  I  let  it 
fall  on  the  pavement  and  broke  the  pearl  top  be 
fore  reaching  home.  Was'nt  it  unlucky  ?" 

"  Then  you're  going  to  hear  Mrs.  "Wood,  to 
night  ?"  said  Lofton,  as  he  gave  his  companion 
the  coin  he  had  asked  for. 

"  I  am,  and  for  two  reasons.  I  wish  to  hear 
her  again,  and  moreover  expect  to  see  Miss  Ray- 
nor  there.  She  was  present  at  the  last  opera. 
Come,  go  with  me." 

"  No :  can't  afford  it." 

"  Nonsense  !  If  I,  who  have  to  borrow  the  price 
of  admission,  can  afford  to  go,  surely  you,  who 
are  able  to  lend,  and  whose  purse  is  heavy  with 
coin,  may  afford  the  same  enjoyment." 

"  You  and  I  may  differ,  perhaps,  as  to  what 
constitutes  ability,"  said  Lofton. 


SPARING    TO    SPENT).  1  7 

"  I  should'nt  wonder,"  remarked  Pinkerton, 
hurriedly.  "  But  good  evening,  if  you  won't 
accompany  me.  Time  passes,  and  the  boxes  will 
be  closed  before  I  arrive." 


CHAPTER    II. 


The  scene  at  the  Holliday  Street  Theatre,  Bal 
timore,  on  that  evening  was  brilliant  and  exci 
ting.  Mrs.  Wood  was  never  in  better  voice,  and 
she  witched  all  hearts  by  the  power  of  her  en 
chanting  melody.  Miss  Eaynor  was  there,  and 
divided,  with  the  fair  prima  donna,  the  attention 
of  the  more  than  half  bewildered  Pinkerton.  If, 
from  either  of  these  objects  of  strong  attraction 
the  mind  of  the  young  man  wandered,  it  was  to 
think  of  his  sober  friend  Lofton,  and  to  pity  him 
for  those  false  ideas  of  economy,  in  odedience  to 
which,  he  was  depriving  himself  of  the  pure  and 
elevating  delights  of  music  wedded  to  scenic  art. 

And  what  of  Archibald  Lofton?     Where  was 


SPARING    TO    SPENP.  19 

he  ?  How  did  he  pass  the  evening  ?  Let  us  return 
to  him.  A  small  volume  had  been  loaned  to  him 
that  day  by  a  friend,  entitled  "Mercantile  Morals," 
with  a  recommendation  to  read  it  carefully. — 
After  Pinkerton  left  the  house,  the  young  man 
drew  this  book  from  his  pocket,  and  spent  an 
hour  in  reading. 

"  The  right  doctrine,"  said  the  young  man  em 
phatically,  when  he  at  last  closed  the  volume. 
"  Every  word  of  it  true.  The  book  is  worth  its 
weight  in  gold  to  any  one  who  will  heed  its 
precepts.  Spare  to  spend !  Yes,  that  is  the  true 
doctrine.  If  we  spend  money  now  for  what  we 
don't  want,  we  will  have  nothing  in  the  future  to 
buy  what  we  do  want ;  but  if  we  spare  now,  we 
will  be  able  to  spend  liberally  in  the  future." 

As  he  thus  talked  with  himself,  a  servant  came 
into  the  parlor  to  say  that  his  washerwoman  was 
below. 

"  Tell  her  that  I  would  like  to  see  her,"  replied 
Lofton.  "Well,  Bridget,  have  you  brought  home 
my  clothes  ?"  he  said,  as  the  woman  came  in. 

"  Yes,  sir.     They  are  in  your  room." 

"  I  owe  you  for  another  month ;  don't  I  ?" 

Bridget  nodded  an  affirmative. 

"  Two  dollars  ?" 


20  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  Two  dollars  and  a  quarter,  this  month.  You 
know  there  were  some  extra  "pieces  last  week." 

"  So  there  were."  Lofton  drew  forth  his  purse, 
and  while  he  was  taking  out  the  washerwoman's 
money,  the  latter,  who  had  some  misgivings  as  to 
whether  it  were  just  right,  or  politic,  to  charge 
for  a  few  extra  pieces,  one  who  was  always  so 
prompt  and  cheerful  in  payment,  said — 

"  I  reckon  we  won't  make  any  account  of  the 
few  pieces  over.  It  didn't  take  me  long  to  do 
them,  and  you're  always  such  good  pay.  I  only 
wish  everybody  I  washed  for  was  like  you." 

"  I'm  much  better  able  to  pay  for  all  I  have 
washed,  Bridget,  than  you  are  to  do  it  for  no 
thing,"  replied  Lofton.  "  0  no,  my  good  woman ; 
if  there  is  a  single  piece  over,  let  me  know  it.  I 
don't  like  wasting  money ;  but  to  the  uttermost 
farthing,  I  wish  to  pay  what  is  justly  another's." 

"  Some  people  waste  a  great  deal  of  money," 
remarked  Bridget,  "  on  one  foolery  and  another; 
and  them's  generally  the  ones  what  begrudges 
us  even  the  little  they  agree  to  pay.  There's  one 
young  man  I  could  mention,  if  I  chose  to  call 
names — butthat  would'nt  be  just  right  and  proper, 
you  know — who  holds  his  head  high  enough,  and 
yet  it's  like  drawing  teeth  to  get  a  dollar  out  of 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  21 

him.  He  owes  rne,  now,  over  five  dollars.  I 
wish,  instead  of  wasting  his  money  as  he  does, 
he'd  save  it,  as  you  do,  to  pay  honest  debts.  My 
little  boy,  only  eleven  years  old,  .and  who  ought, 
by  good  right,  to  be  at  school,  if  I  could  afford 
to  keep  him  there,  is  earning  money  in  a  cigar 
store.  He  told  me,  this  very  evening,  that  the 
young  man,  of  whom  I  am  speaking,  came 
into  the  store,  to-day,  and  spent  a  dollar  and  a 
quarter  for  a  little  switch  of  a  cane,  with  a 
pearl  top,  which  he  dropped  on  the  floor,  'and 
broke  a  moment  after  it  was  paid  for.  It  made 
my  very  blood  boil  when  I  heard  it,  and  I  said  to 
myself — I'll  not  stand  this  any  longer  !  As  soon 
as  supper  was  over,  I  hurried  off  to  his  boarding 
house,  determined,  if  he  didn't  pay  me  what  was 
due,  to  talk  my  mind  right  out  to  him.  Well,  as 
I  was  coming  past  the  Holliday  Street  Theatre, 
who  should  I  see  going  up  the  steps  but  him  ?  I 
was  half  tempted  to  catch  hold  of  his  arm,  and 
ask  him  for  my  money." 

"  That  wouldn't  have  been  right,  Bridget,"  said 
Lofton. 

"  I  know  it  wouldn't.  And  I'm  glad  I  held 
myself  back.  But  its  dreadful  aggravatin', 
Mr.'  Lofton — dreadful.  Him  owing  me  for  wash- 


22  SPARING    TO   SPEND. 

ing  his  clothes — for  helping  to  make  him  look 
like  a  gentleman — and  wasting  two  dollars  in  a 
single  day,  on  fancy  canes  and  theatres  !  Oh,  its 
too  much !  I  don 't  wonder  my  blood  boils. 
But  excuse  me,  Mr.  Lofton,  I  didn't  mean  to 
annoy  you.  Thank  you  for  your  kindness.  I 
think  I'd  rather  not  take  but  two  dollars.  The 
extra  pieces  were  small,  —  I  wasn't  long  doing 
'em." 

"  $.11  very  generous  and  considerate  in  you, 
Bridget,"  said  the  young  man,  pleasantly.  "  But 
right  is  right.  I  have  to  economize.  But  I 
do  it  through  self-denial ;  not  by  getting  the  labor 
of  others  for  nothing." 

"  You're  a  jewel  of  a  man,  Mr.  Lofton ;  and  I'm 
no  flatterer  that  say  it !"  was  the  enthusiastic  re 
sponse  of  the  half- Americanized  Irish  woman 
"  And  I  wish  the  world  was  made  up  of  the  likes 
o'  you." 

And  with  a  low  curtsey  she  retired. 

"  And  this  is  Pinkerton !"  said  Lofton,  as  he 
walked  to  and  fro,  in  some  excitement  of 'mind. 
"  Spend  his  last  dollar  for  a  dandy  cane,  and 
then  borrow  the  price  of  admission  to  the  theatre, 
while  his  washerwoman  can't  get  from  him  the 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  23 

poor  reward  of  her  hard  labor.     Too  bad  1  Too 
bad !     I  thought  better  of  him  than  this." 

We  must  now  introduce  another  character  to 
the  reader.  About  the  time  that  Lofton  was  in 
conversation  with  Bridget,  a  young  woman, 
plainly  dressed,  yet  neat  and  tidy  in  her  whole 
appearance,  left  one  of  the  large  houses  in  the 
upper  part  of  Charles  street,  and  with  slow,  and 
apparently  feeble  steps,  passed  along  as  far  as 
Lexington  street.  Here  she  stood  for  some  mo 
ments,  as  if  undetermined  where  to  go.  At  last 
she  moved  on  again,  until  she  reached  Fayette 
street,  where  the  same  indecision  was  manifested 
A  sudden  thought,  after  a  brief  pause,  changed 
her  whole  manner.  With  a  somewhat  quicker 
movement,  she  retraced  her  steps  as  far  as  Lex 
ington  street,  along  which  she  went  in  the  direc 
tion  of  Liberty  street.  Half  way  down,  she 
stopped  at  a  frame  house,  the  entrance  to  which 
was  by  high  and  narrow  steps.  She  went  in 
without  knocking. 

There  was  no  light  in  the  small  parlor  into 
which  the  street  door  opened. 

"  Who's  that  ?'  called  a  harsh  female  voice 
from  a  back  room,  the  door  of  which  was  now 
thrown  ajar,  admitting  a  feeble  gleam. 

"Me,"  was  faintly  answered. 


24  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

"Ellen.  Oh!  you're  late  to-night."  There 
was  not  a  single  touch  of  womanly  softness  in 
the  tones  of  the  speaker.  No  response  was  made 
by  the  new  comer,  who  had  removed  her  bonnet 
and  shawl.  The  former  she  held  in  her  hand  by 
the  strings,  and  the  latter  was  lying  across  her 
arm,  as  she  passed  from  the  dark  parlor  into  the 
small  sitting-room  that  adjoined.  A  glass  oil 
lamp  afforded  the  dim  light  by  which  this  "  den," 
— if  we  may  thus  be  allowed  to  designate  it — was 
but  partially  illuminated.  As  she  entered,  an  old 
woman  lifted  to  her  pale,  thin,  timid  face,  a  pair 
of  glittering  black  eyes,  and  fixed  them  on  her 
with  a  cold,  yet  piercing  gaze.  Let  us  describe, 
somewhat  particularly,  this  old  woman. 

No  one  would  have  pronounced  her  age  a  year 
below  sixty.  She  had,  probably,  added  ten  to 
three-score.  Her  hair,  of  a  dark,  iron-grey, 
combed  roughly  back  from  her  forehead,  was  so 
heavy  in  growth,  and  strong  in  texture,  as  to  lift 
somewhat  untidily  her  plain  cap  from  her  broad 
temples.  Her  face  was  long,  and  tapered  sharply 
towards  her  chin.  There  yet  remained  in  her 
mouth  a  few  straggling  teeth,  the  incisors  and 
canine  projecting,  when  her  lips  were  parted, 
very  much  like  those  of  an  animal.  Her  skin 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  25 

was  dark,  and  had  something  the  appearance  of 
leather.  Her  eyes  have  already  been  mentioned 
as  black  and  glittering ;  they  had  receded  far 
back  into  her  head,  and  were  restless  and  quick  in 
their  movements.  Every  thing  about  her  bespoke 
the  hard,  harsh,  selfish  woman,  congealed  into  so 
rigid  a  form,  in  old  age,  that  no  one  might  press 
against  her,  without  sustaining  injury.  In  person 
she  was  tall  and  thin. 

The  room  in  which  this  woman  sat  was  nar 
row,  its  length  being  equal  to  the  width  of  the 
email  parlor,  from  which  it  was  removed  by  a 
partition.  In  one  corner  was  an  old  fashioned 
cupboard,  enclosed  with  doors  above  and  below. 
A  table,  quite  as  ancient  in  style,  was  drawn  a 
few  inches  from  the  wall.  It  contained  a  lamp, 
one  of  the  wicks  in  which  had  been  picked  down, 
in  order  to  lessen,  by  half,  the  consumption  of 
oil.  Sufficient  light  was  obtained  for  all  practi 
cal  purposes,  so  far  as  the  old  woman  was  con 
cerned,  her  occupation  being  that  of  knitting, 
Two  or  three  Windsor  chairs,  from  which  fre 
quent  scrubbing  had  removed  every  vestige  of 
paint,  a  small  square  pine  stool,  cushioned  with 
a  piece  of  faded  ingrain  carpet,  with  two  or 


26  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

unimportant  articles,  made  up  the  furniture  of 
the  room. 

"  You're  late  to  night,"  repeated  the  old  woman, 
drawing  as  she  spoke,  a  round  snuff-box  from 
her  pocket,  and  taking  a  large  pinch  of  the 
powdered  weed.  As  she  returned  the  box  to  its 
capacious  receptacle,  she  fixed  her  eyes  search- 
ingly  upon  the  young  girl. 

"I  had  to  finish  the  dress  I  was  working  on 
before  I  could  leave,"  was  answered. 

"  Well,  I  hope  they've  paid  you  for  your  work. 
You've  been  there  three  weeks  to  day." 

"I  havn't  finished  yet.  There  are  two  or 
three  dresses  more  to  make  for  the  young  ladies," 
eaid  the  girl,  with  something  deprecating  in  her 
voice.  "  I  shall  be  engaged  for  at  least  a  week 
longer." 

"  Why  don't  they  pay  you  at  the  end  of  each 
week?  The  money's  earned,"  said  the  old 
woman,  sharply. 

"  They  would,  I  suppose,  if  I  were  to  ask 
them." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  ask  them  ?  No  one 
should  be  afraid  to  ask  for  her  own.  I've  had 
to  do  it  all  my  life." 

"  It  isn't  usual   to  pay  until  the  end  of  an 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  27 

engagement  ;  and  I'd  rather  not  ask  for  my 
money." 

"  And  I'd  rather  you  would  ask  for  it,  Miss," 
said  the  old  woman,  drawing  herself  up  and  look 
ing  a  very  imperative  mood  personified.  "  I  want 
my  money,"  she  added,  speaking  very  positively ; 
"  and  I  must  have  it.  Your  board  has  now 
been  running  on  for  ten  weeks ;  and  I'm  a  poor 
woman,  and  can't  afford  to  lie  out  of  my  money 
in  this  way." 

"  If  I  had  not  been  sick,  Mrs.  Sly,  my  board 
would  have  been  paid  regularly.  I  never  was 
behind-hand  with  you  before." 

"  Oh,  well  that  don't  signify,"  said  the  old 
woman,  impatiently.  "  You  aint  sick  now. — 
You've  been  at  work  three  weeks,  and  have 
earned  six  dollars." 

"  True,"  was  the  mild,  and  now  firm  reply  of 
the  girl,  who,  the  sharpness  of  the  first  interview, 
which  she  had  dreaded,  being  over,  was  regain 
ing  something  of  her  native  firmness  and  inde 
pendence  of  character.  "  True,  and  in  another 
week,  there  will  be  eight  dollars  coming  to  me, 
all  of  which  will  be  paid  into  your  hands  as  soon 
as  I  receive  it.  I've  always  given  you  your 
money,  Mrs.  Sly,  the  moment  it  was  due.  What 


23  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

more  could  you  ask  ?  Sickness  should,  at  least 
bring  some  consideration." 

"  Hity  tighty,  my  young  lady  !"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Sly,  in  no  feigned  surprise.  "What's 
coming  over  the  girl  ?  A  nice  way  to  talk  to  me 
after  I  have  nursed  you  for  six  weeks  like  a  baby. 
Some  people  would  have  bundled  you  off  to  the 
poor-house.  But,  it's  the  kind  of  thanks  I  always 
receive." 

And  such  nursing!  The  poor  girl  closed  her 
eyes,  and  laid  her  hand  on  her  heart,  that  grew 
faint  at  the  remembrance  of  those  six  weeks  -of 
helplessness  and  suffering. 

The  simple  relation  of  Ellen  Birch  to  this 
woman,  was  that  of  a  boarder.  Why  one  so 
gentle,  sensitive,  and  altogether  so  maidenly  in 
all  that  appertained  to  her,  as  was  this  young 
girl,  should  have  found  a  home  with  such  a 
woman  as  Mrs.  Sly,  may  excite  surprise.  It  is 
easily  explained.  Three  years  before,  the  death 
of  her  mother  deprived  her  not  only  of  her  best 
friend,  but  left  her  alone  in  the  world,  and  wholly 
dependent  on  her  own  efforts.  A  small  life-an 
nuity  had  been  the  mother's  only  income.  On 
this,  with  strict  economy,  she  had  been  able  to 
support  herself  and  child.  Her  death,  when 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  29 

Ellen  was  just  sixteen,  left  the  afflicted  girl  not 
only  alone  in  the  world,  but  without  any  means 
of  subsistence.  For  the  last  two  years  of  her 
life,  Mrs.  Birch  had  rented  a  room  from  Mrs. 
Sly,  who  owned  the  poor  tenement  in  which  she 
lived. 

As  soon  after  her  mother's  death  as  Ellen  was 
able  to  comprehend,  with  some  clearness,  her 
new  relation  to  the  world,  her  native  indepen 
dence,  spurred,  it  may  be,  into  quicker  activity 
by  some  unmistakable  givings  out  on  the  part  of 
Mrs.  Sly,  led  her  to  select  the  trade  of  a  dress 
maker  as  a  means  of  self-dependence.  Mrs.  Sly 
favored  this,  and  as  it  was  necessary  for  Ellen  to 
subsist  during  the  year  of  her  apprenticeship, 
proposed  to  board  her  for  what  service  she  could 
perform  early  in  the  morning  before  going  to 
work,  and  in  the  evening  after  returning  home. 
The  offer  Ellen  accepted  with  thankfulness.  But, 
what  a  year  of  toil  beyond  her  strength,  and  ill- 
natured  exaction,  it  proved.  It  seemed  as  if 
Mrs.  Sly  could  never  be  satisfied  with  the  amount 
of  work  done  for  her  by  Ellen.  Ere  the  day 
dawned,  she  was  aroused  from  her  pillow,  and 
rarely  escaped  to  her  chamber  before  the  noon  of 
night.  Even  with  all  this,  if  she  could  have 


30  SPARING    TO   SPEND. 

pleased  Mrs.  Sly,  it  would  have  been  something 
for  her  mind  to  rest  upon.  But  that  was  hope 
less,  for  the  woman  was  sordid,  even  miserly,  at 
heart,  and  her  base  love  of  money  poisoned  every 
gushing  rill  of  human  feeling  in  her  bosom. 

Slowly  that  year  of  toil  and- trial  went  by.     It 
closed  at  last.     The  brave  girl  had  acquired  a 
trade — at  what  expense  her  almost  colorless  face, 
attenuated  frame,  and  slow,  feeble  steps,  attested 
but  too  well.     Ten   hours   a   day,  in  the  close 
work-room,  for  one  who  had  taken  much  and  fre 
quent  exercise  in  the  open  air,  would  of  itself 
have  tried  her  health   severely.     It  came  near 
breaking  down,  altogether,  under  the  added  toil 
imposed  by  her  relation  to  Mrs.  Sly.     That  rela 
tion,  the   selfish  old  woman  had  no  objection  to 
continue,  for  the  meagre  fare  provided  for  Ellen 
was  paid  for  three  times  over  by  the  service  she 
rendered.     The  young  girl,  however,  was  too  glad 
to  be  emancipated  from  such  tyranny  and  labor. 
A  new  relation  was,  therefore,  established.     As 
ehe  obtained  work  immediately,  in  two  or  three 
families  to  which  she  was  recommended  by  the 
dress-maker  with  whom  she  served  her  appren 
ticeship,  she  was  able  to  pay  a  sum  agreed  upon 
for  boarding,  which  she  preferred  to  the  thankless 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  31 

and  health-destroying  service,  the  term  of  whicb 
had  just  expired. 

Since  that  time,  she  had  boarded  with  Mrs. 
Sly,  who  true  to  her  natural  instincts,  had,  be 
sides  half-starving  the  poor  girl,  rendered,  in 
other  ways,  her  life  exceedingly  uncomfortable. 

Often  and  often  did  Ellen  resolve  to  seek  a  new 
home;  but,  when  she  tried  to  make  up  her  mind 
to  leave  the  house  in  which  her  mother  had  lived, 
and  the  room  in  which  she  died,  her  heart  re 
belled  against  the  decisions  of  her  judgment. 
Her  mother's  spirit  seemed  to  linger  about  the 
old,  familiar  objects,  and  she  felt  her  presence  in 
the  chamber  where  they  had  slept  together  as 
she  felt  it  nowhere  else.  And  so,  bearing,  for 
bearing  and  suffering,  gaining  earthly  purification 
through  many  trials  borne  patiently,  she  remained 
in  her  comfortless  home  for  nearly  two  years 
when  a  long  and  protracted  sickness  threw  her, 
weak  and  helpless  as  an  infant,  on  the  tender 
mercies  of  one  in  whose  bosom  the  milk  of  human 
kindness  had  long  since  ceased  to  flow. 

When  at  last,  she  tottered  forth  from  her 
lonely  chamber,  it  was  with  her  mind  made  up 
in  regard  to  the  future.  She  was  indebted  for 
boarding  from  the  time  she  was  taken  ill.  So 


32  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

soon  as  she  was  able  to  pay  off  what  was  due, 
she  was  fully  resolved  to  seek  another  home.  So 
greatly  had  Mrs.  Sly  annoved  her  for  the  week 
or  two  before  her  introduction  to  the  reader,  and 
so  utterly  disgusted  was  she  with  her  intense  and 
cruel  selfishness,  that  she  was  several  times  on 
the  eve  of  not  returning  again  to  her  house.  It 
was  a  state  of  indecision  on  this  subject,  that 
caused  her  hesitating  movements  after  leaving  the 
house  in  Charles  street,  where  she  had  been 
working  through  the  day.  A  sudden  thought, 
flashing  through  her  mind  it,  will  be  remem 
bered,  prompted  her  return  to  the  old  home. 

The  last  words  of  Mrs.  Sly,  in  which  allusion 
was  made  to  the  poor-house,  and  the  ingratitude 
she  had  always  received  for  her  kind  acts  to 
others,  were  pitched  in  a  high,  shrill  tone,  that 
completely  drowned  the  noise  of  footsteps  in  the 
adjoining  parlor.  Twice  there  had  been  a  knock 
at  the  street  door,  and  both  times  the  loud  voice 
of  the  old  virago  had  kept  the  sound  from  reach 
ing  their  ears,  nor  did  either  observe  that,  failino- 

-  '  O 

to  attract  attention  some  one  had  entered.  Not 
until  the  door  of  the  little  room  was  pushed  open, 
and  the  voice  of  a  man  said,  somewhat  sternlv 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  33 

"  Mrs.  Sly  !  Is  it  possible !  What  does  all  this 
mean  ?" — 

Were  either  aware  of  another's  presence. 

"  Mr.  Lofton  !"  exclaimed  Ellen,  in  surprise, 
yet  with  something  of  joy  in  her  tone,  while  her 
pale  cheeks  flushed,  and  her  eyes  brightened  and 
filled  with  tears.  The  young  man  grasped  her 
hand  and  drew  her  into  the  parlor.  Mrs.  Sly 
followed  with  the  dim  oil  lamp  that  had  burned 
upon  her  table,  and  setting  it  upon  the  mantel 
piece,  passed  from  the  room  without  a  word,  and, 
left  the  young  couple  alone. 


2* 


CHAPTER    III 


THE  silence  which  followed  the  withdrawal  of 
Mrs.  Sly  was  broken  b*y  sobs,  that- Ellen  was, 
just  then,  too  weak,  both  in  mind  and  body  to 
restrain.  These  were  succeeded  by  a  flood  of 
tears.  No  word  was  spoken  by  the  young  man, 
until  the  agitation  of  his  companion  had  subsided ; 
yet  as  she  wept,  he  held  her  hand  in  a  tighten 
ing  grasp. 

"Dear  Ellen,"  he  at  length  said,  "what  does 
all  this  mean  ?  how  dare  that  old  wretch — " 

"  Oh,  Archie  !  Archie !  Don't  speak  so,"  ex 
claimed  Ellen,  interrupting  him.  "  Don't — don't. 
She  was  disappointed;  and  you  know — you 
know — " 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  33 

"Disappointed  about  what,  Ellen?"  asked 
Lofton,  seeing  that  she  hesitated,  and  looked 
slightly  confused,  as  if  nearly  betrayed  into  the 
utterance  of  something  about  which  she  did  not 
wish  to  speak. 

"  Disappointed  about  what  ?"  he  repeated,  after 
pausing  for  an  answer. 

But  there  was  no  reply,  and  her  partly  averted 
face  prevented  all  attempts  to  read  her  thoughts 
in  her  countenance. 

"  What  did  she  mean  by  that  allusion  to  the 
poor-house  ?"  said  Lofton.  "  Surely  I  must  have 
misunderstood  its  application  to  yourself.  Can 
it  be  possible  that  she  referred  to  you  and  your 
recent  illness  I"  Light  was  breaking  in  upon  the 
young  man's  mind.  "  Ellen  !  Dear  Ellen !  You 
must  have  no  concealments  with  me  in  any  mat 
ters  that  affect  your  comfort  or  happiness ;  these 
are  already  in  my  keeping,  and  I  trust  to  have 
them  in  faithful  guardianship  so  long  as  life  shall 
last." 

The  young  man  spoke  low,  his  voice  eloquent 
with  true  feeling. 

"  Say,  Ellen,  is  my  inference  correct?' 

"  It  is,"  was  the  reluctant  answer. 

"Why,  Ellen!    Ellen!    I    am   confounded." 


36  SPARING   TO    SPEXD. 

There  was  strong  indignation  in  his  voice. 
"  Such  language  to  you  !  What  can  it  mean  ? 
How  dare  she  speak  so  !  You  say  she  was  dis 
appointed.  About  what?" 

Yet,  even  as  he  asked  the  question,  the  truth 
was  suggested.  Ellen  did  not  reply;  but  he 
needed  no  confirming  words  from  her  lips.  He 
knew,  as  certainly  as  if  she  had  told  him,  that 
the  poor  girl  was  in  debt  for  her  board  during 
the  time  of  her  prolonged  illness,  and  that  this  was 
the  cause  of  Mrs.  Sly's  abusive  language.  How 
hot,  with  anger,  grew  the  blood  in  his  veins.  To 
think  that  this  tender  and  beloved  flower,  that 
he  would  have  protected  from  even  the  summer's 
changes,  had  been  so  cruelly  assailed  ;  had  been 
blown  on  by  the  sharp  breath  of  cold-hearted 
selfishness  ! 

"  Ellen  !  You  must  not  remain  here  for  another 
hour  !"  said  he,  passionately. 

"  Archie — Archie !"  said  Ellen,  who  had  re- 
gained,her  self-possession,  and  now  spoke  with  a 
calm  and  gentle  earnestness — "  Do  not  give  way 
to  anger.  We  have  many  lessons  of  patience  and 
forbearance  to  learn  in  this  life ;  and  the  more 
thoroughly  we  learn  them,  the  wiser  we  will  be, 
and  the  better  able  to  act  right  in  the  time  to 


SPARING    TO    SPEND  37 

come.  Have  I  not  heard  almost  these  very  words 
from  your  own  lips,  Archie?  Strength,  many, 
many  times  have  they  given  me  in  trial.  I  have 
numerous  kindnesses  to  acknowledge  at  the 
hands  of  Mrs.  Sly,  and  her  conduct  now  cannot 
make  me  forget  them." 

"  She  is  wicked  and  cruel !"  persisted  Lofton. 

"Her  conduct  is  an  outrage  and  cannot  be  ex 
cused  on  any  ground." 

"  It  was  wrong,  I  know,"  said  Ellen ;  "  but  she 
cannot  see  with  our  eyes — cannot  feel  as  we  do. 
All  her  inclinations  are  sordid,  and  all  her  motives 
are  low  and  selfish.  We  must  think  of  her  as 
she  is." 

"  But  you  will  not  remain  here,  surely,  after 
what  has  occurred  ?"  replied  Lofton. 

"  I  shall  stay  for  a  few  weeks  longer.  My 
mind  was  already  made  up  to  change,  after  that 
time." 

"  But  why  not  go  from  here  at  on'ce  ?  Why 
remain  for  two  or  three  weeks  ?" 

"I  am  not  prepared  to  leave,  now,  Archie. 
It  does  not  just  suit  me.  Mrs.  Sly  is  over  her 
fretted  state  by  this  time.  These  tempers  don't 
last  long.  She's  sorry  for  what  she  said,  I'm 


SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

Don't  think  of  it  any  more.  In  three  or 
four  «?eeks,  if  I  keep  well,  I  intend  looking  out 
for  ?  pleasanter  home." 

"  If  you  keep  well,  Ellen  ?" 

Lofton  looked  earnestly  into  her  thin  face,  as 
hw  voice  lingered  on  the  words,  "  keep  well." 
"  Your  hand  is  too  hot  for  health  now,"  he  added. 
"  You  have  been  at  work,  to-day  ?" 

«  Yes." 

"Too  soon — too  soon."  The  young  man's 
tones  were  troubled.  "  You  will  never  recover 
your  former  health  if  you  go  on  in  this  way. 
You  huvn't  the  strength,  Ellen,  for  this." 

"  I'm  getting  stronger,"  she  answered.  But 
her  own  consciousness  that  such  was  not  the  case, 
betrayed  itself  in  her  tones. 

"  Weaker,  you  mean,"  said  Lofton.  "  Ellen," 
he  added,  with  emphatic  earnestness,  "  this  must 
not  be.  My  own  happiness  is  too  intimately 
bound  up  with  yours,  to  look  on  indifferently 
and  see  you  destroying  your  own  life.  This 
season  of  all  others,  will  not  permit  over  effort, 
in  a  weakened  condition  of  the  body.  To  the 
exhausted  frame,  spring  often  comes  with  new 
life  and  vigor ;  but  there  must  be  gentle  exercise 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  39 

in  the  fresh  and  fragrant  air,  with  freedom  from 
anxious  thought,  or  its  health-giving  influence 
will  be  exerised  in  vain." 

How  deeply  Ellen  felt  the  truth  of  these  words. 
From  the  time  the  disease,  by  which  she  had  suf 
fered  so  severely,  left  her,  up  to  the  period  when 
she  resumed  her  work,  there  had  been  a  daily 
visible  improvement  in  her  health.  But,  since 
then,  the  gain  had  been  very  slow  indeed,  while 
her  tasks  were  performed  under  the  pressure  of 
painful  weariness.  Usually,  when  sne  turned' 
her  steps  homeward,  at  night,  she  had  scarcely 
the  needed  strength  remaining.  And  there  was 
another  reason,  beyond  the  ten  or  twelve  hours' 
incessant  needle-work,  why  she  failed  to  regain 
the  strength  she  so  much  needed ;  and  this  was 
an  inexcusable  want  of  thought  in  the  lady  for 
whom  she  had  been  sewing  for  some  three  weeks. . 
At  seven  o'clock,  Ellen  began  her  daily  task,  and 
an  hour  elapsed  before  she  was  called  to  break 
fast.  By  this  time,  she  usually  had  a  faint,  sick, 
feeling,  that  nourishing  food  taken  at  an  earlier 
hour  would  have  prevented,  but  which  now  took 
away  all  appetite.  A  few  mouthfuls  of  bread 
and  butter,  and  a  part  of  a  cup  of  tea  or  coffee, 
almost  forced  upon  her  reluctant  stomach,  made 


40  SPARING   TO   SPEND. 

up  her  morning  meal.  By  twelve  or  one  o'clock ; 
her  exhausted  system  began  to  ask  for  nutrition, 
which,  if  then  supplied,  would  have  been  grateful 
and  health-giving.  But  three  o'clock  was  the 
dining  hour,  and  to  the  thoughtless  mistress  of 
the  family,  herself  in  robust  health,  it  did  not 
once  occur  that  the  pale,  toiling  seamstress  might 
need  a  luncheon  to  sustain  her  till  the  regular 
dinner  hour  arrived. 

It  was  usually  half-past  three,  and  sometimes 
four  o'cldbk,  ere  Ellen  was  summoned  from  the 
apartment,  where  for  eight  or  nine  hours  she 
had  bent  weary,  often  in  pain  and  exhausted,  over 
her  work.  Sometimes  she  came  to  the  table  with 
so  eager  an  appetite,  as  to  be  induced  to  overload 
her  stomach  ;  and  sometimes  with  such  an  aver 
sion  to  food,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  she  could 
eat  at  all.  There  was  little  to  tempt  her  at  the 
evening  meal,  usually  taken  with  Mrs.  Sly ;  and 
when  her  head  pressed  her  pillow  she  was  fre 
quently  too  tired  and  feverish  to  sleep,  until  hours 
had  passed  away,  and  then  her  slumber  was  so 
heavy,  that  profuse  night-sweats  completed  the 
work  of  exhaustion. 

Yes,  deeply  did  Ellen  feel  the  truth  of  Lofton's 
remark.  To  her,  the  fresh  and  fragrant  airs  of 


SPARINQ    TO    SPEND.  41 

spring  brought  no  health-inspiring  influence.  In 
Btead  of  gaining  strength,  too  sadly  was  she  be 
coming  conscious  with  each  returning  day,  of  a 
loss  of  bodily  vigor.  She  made  no  reply  to  her 
lover's  earnest  appeal,  and  he  added  : 

"  You  must  go  to  the  country  for  a  few  weeks, 
Ellen.  It  is  little  better  than  suicide  to  continue 
on  as  you  are  now  doing." 

"  That  is  impossible,  Archie,"  replied  Ellen, 
half  reproachfully.  The  suggestion  seemed  to  the 
poor  girl  almost  like  mockery. 

"  Why  is  it  impossible  ?"  asked  theyoungman. 

There  were  reasons  enough  in  Ellen's  mind, 
to  another,  her  reply  would  have  been  most  conclu 
sive.  But,  to  him,  she  could  not  say  that  besides 
being  in  debt  for  boarding,  she  had  no  money  to 
bear  the  expense.  She  was,  therefore,  silent 
to  this  last  interrogation.  It  was  easy  enough  for 
Lofton  to  conjecture  the  cause  of  her  silence;  and 
he  did  so,  correctly.  How  gladly  would  he  have 
offered  her  money  sufficient  to  pay  the  sum  due 
for  boarding,  and  to  meet  the  expense  of  a  few 
weeks'  sojourn  in  the  country.  But  true  delicacy 
of  feeling  prevented  an  offer,  which  a  like  delicacy 
would  have  certainly  declined. 

"  It  is  not  impossible  for  you  to  take  at  least  a 


42  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

week's  relaxation.     Health — nay,  life  itself,  de 
mands  this,"  said  Lofton,  earnestly. 

"  It  will  be  at  least  a  week  before  I  can  finish 
what  Mrs.  Blain  wishes  me  to  do.  She  is  one  of 
the  first  who  gave  me  work,  and  I  would  not  like 
to  disappoint  her." 

"  But,  surely  she  is  human !  Where  the  very 
life  of  another  is  at  stake,  who  would  put  the 
making  of  a  dress  or  two  against  it  ?" 

"  You  are  too  serious  altogether,  Archie,"  said 
Ellen  Birch,  forcing  a  smile,  yet  leaning  closer  to 
him  as  she  spoke,  and  feeling  an  inward  joy  at 
the  loving  interest  he  manifested. 

"  No — no — no,  Ellen,"  he  replied — "  there  is  too 
much  at  stake  for  both  of  us.  I  cannot  bear  to  see 
your  thin  face  still  so  pale ;  your  eyes  so  languid ; 
your  whole  appearance  that  of  one  gradually  sink 
ing  towards  the  grave,  instead  of  rising  to  buoyant 
health." 

His  voice  trembled  with  emotion. 

"Don't  let  this  trouble  you,"  replied  Ellen, 
touched  by  the  words  and  manner  of  Lofton; 
"  your  fears  magnify  the  reality.  I  shall  do  well 
enough.  From  so  serious  an  illness,  recovery  is 
always  slow.  In  a  few  weeks  you  will  see  a  great 
improvement." 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  43 

"  Not  if  you  go  on  as  you  are  going.  Improve 
ment  under  present  circumstances  is  impossible." 

In  many  ways  the  young  man  sought  to  lead 
Ellen  to  refer  so  distinctly  to  her  own  affairs,  that 
he  could  offer  the  aid  of  which  she  stood  so  much 
in  need.  But,  her  native  delicacy  so  guarded  her, 
that  he  failed  entirely ;  and  when  they  parted 
for  the  night,  there  was,  on  both  sides,  an  anxious 
looking  into  the  future,  and  a  painful  conscious 
ness  that  its  burdens,  for  at  least  one  of  them, 
were  too  heavy  to  be  borne  without  the  risk  of 
dangerous  consequences. 


CHAPTER.    TV 


"  YOTT  don't  know  what  you  missed  last  night, 
young  man,"  said  Pinkerton  in  a  tone  of  triumph 
as  he  met  Lofton  on  the  following  morning. 

"Nor  you  either,"  replied  the  latter,  rather 
coldly.  He  had,  in  his  thought,  Pinkerton's  nar 
row  escape  at  the  theatre-door,  from  the  anger  of 
his  neglected  washerwoman. 

"  Mrs.  Wood  never  sang  so  well. "  That  every 
one  says.  Oh  !  It  was  glorious.  And  you  lost 
it  all  for  the  sake  of  a  paltry  half-dollar.  Archie  ! 
Archie !  You  are  unjust  to  yourself — and,  shall  I 
say  it  without  calling  a  red  spot  to  your  cheeks, 
to  that  pretty  little  seamstress  of  yours.  You 
should  have  gone  yourself  and  taken  her  also." 


SPAKITJG    TO    SPEND.  45 

"  You  think  so  ?"  The  brow  of  Lofton  was 
slightly  bent  as  he  said  this. 

"  I  both  say  it  and  think  it!  The  mind  loses  its 
healthy  tone  unless  we  award  to  it  occasional  re 
creations.  What  so  exhilarating,  and  at  the  same 
time,  so  refining,  as  music  ?" 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  said  Lofton,  thought 
fully. 

"  Take  my  advice.  Go  this  very  day  and  secure 
a  couple  of  seats.  Be  generous  for  once,  and 
you'll  never  repent  of  it  the  longest  day  you  live." 

"  I'll  think  about  it,"  answered  Lofton.  The 
bell  rung  for  breakfast,  and  the  interview  closed. 

For  the  sake  of  Ellen,  Lofton  at  first  thought  he 
would  ^secure  seats  for  the  opera  on  that  evening. 
But  a  little  reflection  told  him  that,  in  her  feeble 
state,  the  excitement  of  music  and  acting,  with 
the  fatigue  consequent  upon  several  hours'  occupa 
tion  of  one  of  the  uncomfortable  seats  with  which 
theatres  are  always  provided,  would  do  her  far 
more  injury  than  to  remain  at  home.  So  that  idea 
was  very  wisely  abandoned.  But,  he  by  no 
means  abandoned  a  better  purpose.  Earnestly  he 
sought  to  devise  some  plan  by  which  she  could  be 
relieved,  for  a  few  weeks,  from  the  toil  that  was 
in  danger  of  entirely  destroying  her  health.  The 


46  SPARING    TO    SPWSD. 

two  hundred  dollars,  saved  by  such  steady  self- 
denial  and  careful  economy — how  gladly  would 
he  devote  all  of  this,  if  needful,  to  meet  the  present 
need !  But,  how  was  he  to  use  it,  and  not  hurt 
the  maidenly  delicacy  of  one  so  tenderly  and  so 
worthily  beloved  ?  That  was  the  question  he  found 
it  most  difficult  to  decide. 

Breakfast  over,  the  two  young  men  departed  tc 
their  different  places  of  business.  Pinkerton  step 
ping  buoyantly  along,  and  still  feeling  the  excite 
ment  of  the  previous  evening ;  Lofton,  with  his 
eyes  upon  the  pavement,  earnestly  pondering  the 
ways  and  means  of  relief  for  Ellen  Birch. 

On  reaching  the  store  in  which  he  was  employed 
a  letter  was  handed  to  Pinkerton.  He  knew,  from 
the  post-mark  and  handwriting,  that  it  came  from 
his  sister,  and  ere  the  seal  was  broken,  or  a  word 
of  the  contents  known,  a  soberer  mood  succeeded 
to  the  pleasant  excitement»of  his  feelings.  With 
an  uneasy  foreboding,  he  opened  the  letter  and 
read: 

"  MY  DEAR  BROTHER  : — I  wish  I  could  write  to 
you  that  my  health  was  improving,  but  it  is  not. 
I  am  very  weak,  and,  though  the  season  of  flowers 
and  singing  birds  is  at  hand,  I  do  not  seem  to  gain 


TO.  SPEND.  47 

any  strength.  As  yet,  I  have  not  ventured  to  go 
out  even  on  the  mildest  days,  lest  I  should  take 
cold.  The  slightest  cold  brings  back  my  cough, 
and  that  jars  my  poor  frame  terribly.  Aunt 
Mary  is  very  kind  to  me  ;  kind  as  a  mother. — 
Poor  aunt  Mary  !  She  is  in  trouble.  You  know- 
she  had  some  bank  stock,  that  paid  her  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year.  Well,  the 
bank  has  failed,  and  she  has  lost  it  all.  Now, 
she  has  nothing  to  depend  on  but  her  dairy,  and 
what  she  can  sell  from  her  little  farm.  I  am, 
consequently,  a  burthen  to  her,  and  this  makes 
me,  at  times,  feel  very  unhappy.  Oh,  how  j. 
wish  I  were  able  to  keep  her  ;  but  I  am  not.  You 
have  often  said  to  me,  dear  brother,  that  so  soon 
as  you  were  able,  you  would  pay  aunt  Mary 
something  for  my  board.  If  you  could  spare  her 
a  little  now,  Mark  ;  if  you  could  send  her  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  dollars,  how  much  good  it  would  do 
her,  and  how  much  it  would  lighten  the  weight 
that  now  lies  heavy  on  my  feelings !  It  goea 
hard  with  me  to  ask  this  of  you,  Mark ;'  but  we 
are  brother  and  sister,  alone  in  the  world,  and  to 
whom  can  I  go  but  to  you  ?  I  do  not  think  1  will 
bo  very  long  here  to  burden  any  one.  I  feel  my 
self  growing  daily  weaker  and  weaker.  But 


48  SPARING   TO   SPEND. 

few  sands  remain,  and  they  are  falling  rapidly 
Let  me  lean  on  you  a  little  more  heavily.  Let 
me  feel  your  arm  bearing  me  up,  Mark.  I  will 
not  know  the  bitter  sense  of  dependence  that  now 
so  often  oppresses  me,  if  from  your  hand  come 
the  few  things  needful  to  sustain  this  failing  life. 

"I  cannot  write  a  longer  letter  to  you  now.  The 
effort  has  exhausted  me  so  much,  that  I  must 
close  at  once.  May  I  hope  to  hear  from  you  soon, 
dear  Mark  ? 

"  From  your  loving  sister,  Lucy." 

To  say  that  the  young  man  was  not  deeply 
moved  by  this  letter ;  to  say  that  the  instant  im 
pulse  of  his  mind  was  not  to  respond  fully  to  the 
earnest  appeal  of  his  sister,  would  be  to  do  him 
great  injustice. 

"  My  poor  dear  sister  1"  he  sighed,  as  he  re 
folded  the  letter.  "  How  gladly  would  I  shelter 

you  from  every  storm  of  life  !     But " 

He  did  not  finish  even  in  thought,  the  sentence, 
but  repressed  the  mental  utterance,  and  in  the 
bitterness  of  conscious  inability  to  respond  as  he 
could  wish,  clenched  his  hands  tightly. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  49 

"Twenty -five  or  thirty  dollars,"  he  said  to 
himself,  a  little  while  afterwards,  as  his  thoughts 
began  to  run  clearer.  "  It  does  not  seem  a  great 
deal ;  and  yet,  I  am  not  the  possessor  at  the  pre 
sent  time,  of  a  tenth  part  of  the  sum ;  while  the 
whole  of  the  current  quarter's  salary  has  already 
been  drawn.  I  might  borrow  what  is  needed  for 
poor  Lucy." 

"  A  lad  wants  to  see  you,"  said  a  fellow-clerk 
to  Pinkerton,  as  these  thoughts  were  passing 
through  his  mind.  The  young  man  turned  around, 
and  there  stood  a  boy  with  a  piece  of  paper  in  his 
hand.  It  was  a  bill  from  his  boot-maker. 

"  Mr.  Slocum,"  said  the  boy,  "  wants  you  to  send 
the  money  for  this  bill.  He's  got  a  note  to  pay." 

"  Tell  him,"  replied  Pinkerton,  no  little  dis 
turbed  by  a  dun  at  this  particular  time,  "  that  I 
can't  do  any  thing  for  him  to-day.  I'm  short 
myself." 

"  But  Mr.  Slocum  says  you  must  send  the  money. 
The  bill's  been  standing  for  months  already." 
The  lad  spoke  with  an  impertinence  of  manner 
that  was  very  offensive. 

"  Go  back  and  tell  your  master  that  must  is  a 
hard  word,  and  he'd  better  withdraw  it,"  said 
Pinkerton,  looking  sternly  at  the  boy. 
3 


50  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

«  But  sir " 

"  Off  with  you  !" 

The  shoemaker's  lad  turned  away  and  left 
the  store,  muttering  something  to  himself  that 
Pinkerton  did  not  hear. 

The  current  of  the  young  man's  thoughts  were 
considerably  changed  by  this  untoward  incident. 
Other  unsettled  bills  were  remembered ;  and,  as  a 
very  natural  consequence,  the  sense  of  his  own 
wants  and  pecuniary  deficiencies  threw  into  the 
shadow  those  of  his  sick  and  dependent  sister. 
Still,  he  did  not  forget  her ;  neither  did  he  resolve 
to  let  her  wants  go  unsupplied. 

"  Poor  Lucy  !"  he  sighed,  as  the  thought  of  her 
returned  more  vividly.  "  Oh,  that  I  were  rich  for 
your  sake !  There  is  nothing  in  this  world  that  I 
would  think  too  good  for  you.  How  unfortunate 
that  money  matters  should  be  with  me  as  they 
are  at  present  !  I  wish  I  had  been  more  econo 
mical.  I  spend  a  great  deal  more  for  trifles  than 
is  at  all  consistent  with  true  economy.  Ah  well ! 
It  can't  be  helped  now.  I  must  try  and  do  better 
in  the  future." 

ft  Mark,"  said  a  fellow-clerk,  touching  hhn  on 
the  shoulder  at  this  moment,  "  don't  you  want  a 
gold  watch,  cheap  ?" 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  51 

Now  to  be  the  owner  of  a  gold  watch,  had,  for 
a  long  time,  been  the  ambition  of  Pinkerton. — 
Three  or  four  times  he  had  commenced  saving  up 
money  for  the  purchase  of  one,  but  his  weak  pro 
pensity  to  waste  small  sums  on  trifles,  never  per 
mitted  the  attempted  accumulation  to  reach  be 
yond  three  or  four  dollars,  and  then  the  whole 
would  suddenly  disappear  like  frost-work  in  the 
sunshine.  To  the  clerk's  question  he  gravely 
shook  his  head. 

"  You'll  never  meet  with  such  a  chance  again 
if  you  wait  a  dozen  years,"  said  the  other. 

"  Who's  got  it  ?  What's  the  price  ?"  asked 
Pinkerton.  A  feeling  of  interest  in  the  matter 
was  being  awakened. 

"  Joe  Purdy  has  it.  It  belongs  to  a  friend  01 
his  who  wants  money  badly,  and  will  sell  it 
cheap." 

"  What  kind  of  a  watch  ?" 

"  A  patent  lever." 

"  Altogether  beyond  my  ability,"  said  Pinker- 
ton.  "And,  besides,  I  am  desperately  poor  just 
now." 

"  It  can  be  bought  for  thirty  dollars,"  remarked 
the  other. 


52  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

"  Thirty  dollars  Tor  a  gold  patent  lever.  You're 
joking/' 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  It's  a  first-rate  watch,  and 
is  worth  sixty  dollars,  if  it's  worth  a  cent.  If  I 
hadn't  purchased  last  winter,  I  would  take  it 
myself.  You'll  never  have  such  another  oppor 
tunity.  Take  my  advice  and  secure  it  on  the 
apot." 

"  But  I  havn't  the  money." 

"  Borrow  it." 

"  Will  you  lend  ?" 

"  Havn't  a  dollar  of  my  last  quarter's  salary 
left.  But  you  can  get  what  you  want  from  Joe 
Purdy." 

Pinkerton  shrugged  his  shoulders,  as  he  re 
plied, 

"  And  pay  him  two  or  three  per  cent,  a  month 
for  the  use  of  it.  He  shaves  too  deep  for  me." 

"  As  you  like  about  that,"  returned  the  other. 
"But  if  you  paid  five  per  cent,  a  month  on 
thirty  dollars,  until  you  drew  on  your  next  quar 
ter's  salary,  you'd  have  the  best  of  the  bargain. 
Take  my  advice  and  secure  the  watch." 

Advice  so  accordant  with  his  desire  to  possess 
the  article  thus  temptingly  set  before  his  rnind, 
Pinkerton  felt  very  much  inclined  to  follow.  A 


SPARING    TO    SPEXD.  53 

sight  of  the  watch  confirmed  his  inclinations. — 
Without  pausing  to  take  counsel  of  prudence ;  to 
think  again  of  the  wants  of  poor  Lucy ;  yielding 
to  the  persuasions  of  others  and  his  own  plead 
ing  wishes,  he  bought  the  watch  and  gave  to  Joe 
Purdy,  a  shrewd,  unscrupulous,  money-loving 
fellow-clerk,  his  due  bill  to  be  paid  two  months 
thereafter  for  thirty-four  dollars,  the  four  dollars 
extra  being  interest  at  the  rate  of  nearly  seven 
per  cent,  a  month  on  the  loan  of  thirty  dollars ! 

Ah  !  it  never  entered  into  the  head  of  Mark 
Pinkerton  to  conceive  of  the  painful,  almost  sick 
ening  reluctance  with  which  his  sister  Lucy  had, 
under  her  heavy  pressure,  forced  herself  to 
write  to  him  as  she  had  done.  That  he  would 
respond,  promptly  and  affectionately,  she  had 
no  doubt.  Yet,  did  not  that  take  away  the 
strong  disinclination  that  was  felt  to  ask  him  for 
money. 

Five  days  had  passed  since  Lucy  wrote,  and 
she  was  now  in  hourly  expectation  of  a  reply. 
Aunt  Mary  was  looking 'troubled;  and  Lucy 
knew  that  she  had  cause  of  trouble.  Oh,  how  it 
hurt  her  to  think  that  she  was  now  a  burden  to 
her  kind  relative  !  As  she  sat  by  her  window 


54  SPARING   TO   SPEND. 

looking  out,  the  butcher  drove  up,  and,  alighting, 
knocked  at  the  gate. 

"  I  wonder  what  he  wants  ?"  said  Lucy  to  her 
self,  as  an  uneasy  feeling  crept  into  her  mind. 
She  bent  nearer  to  the  window.  Soon  aunt 
Mary  came  out,  and  Lucy  heard  the  butcher  say, 

"  Good  morning,  Mrs.  Jones.  Fine  weather 
ihis.  I've  called  down,  as  you  wished,  to  look 
at  old  brindle." 

The  heart  of  Lucy  gave  a  violent  bound.  Then 
tears  gushed  from  her  eyes.  And  was  dear, 
faithful  old  brindle  to  go  to  the  slaughter-house  ? 
The  thought  made  her  so  faint,  that  she  had  to 
lie  down.  Shutting  her  eyes,  she  lay  eagerly 
listening  for  every  movement  below.  The  mur 
mur  of  voices,  continued  for  some  time,  reached 
her  ears.  Then  Lucy  heard  the  butcher  say,  as 
he  clicked  the  latch  of  the  gate. 

"  Very  well,  Mrs.  Jones.  I  '11  send  for  her  to 
morrow  morning ;  and  some  time  during  the  day 
will  bring  you  down  the  twenty  dollars." 

By  this  time  the  butcher  was  in  his  saddle.  A 
word  to  his  horse,  and  he  was  off  in  a  brisk  trot, 
never  dreaming  of  the  grief  his  visit  had  occa 
sioned. 

Aunt  Mary's  chamber  was  next  to  Lucy's. 
The  unhappy  girl  soon  heard  footsteps  slowly 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  55 

ascending  the  stairs.  Her  aunt's  door  was  opened 
and  shut.  A  low  sob  or  suppressed  groan, 
reached  her  ears ;  then  all  was  still.  More  than 
half  an  hour  elapsed  before  the  slightest  movement 
was  again  audible.  Then  the  good  lady  came 
into  Lucy's  room,  and  with  a  slightly  shadowed, 
yet  serene  brow,  sat  down  by  the  bedside,  and, 
taking  in  her's  the  white,  almost  transparent 
hand  of  the  pale  invalid,  said,  with  much  tender 
ness  : 

"  You  don't  look  so  well  to-day,  Lucy.  I'm 
afraid  you've  been  sitting  up  too  long.  Is  there 
anything  I  can  get  for  you  ?" 

"  Nothing,  aunt  Mary,"  replied  Lucy,  scarcely 
able  to  restrain  her  tears.  "  What  did  the 
butcher  want  ?"  she  asked,  as  soon  as  she  could 
speak  with  some  steadiness  of  voice.  "You 
won't  surely  let  him  have  our  dear  old 
brindle  ?" 

"  You  musn't  take  it  to  heart,  dear,"  replied 
aunt  Mary,  with  far  more  composure  of  manner 
than  she  had  herself  hoped  to  obtain.  "  "What 
can't  be  helped  must  be  borne  with  fortitude. 
Brindle  has  been  dry  for  some  time ;  and  we  can 
very  well  part  with  her.  I  owe  just  twenty  dol 
lars  for  taxes,  and  they've  threatened  to  sell  our 


*6  SPARING    TO    SPKXD. 

little  place  if  it  isn't  paid.  So,  there  is  no  help 
for  us.  Don't  think  of  it,  my  child." 

"  Ohj  I  can't  help  thinking  of  it !"  sobbed 
Lucy;  "Dear,  good  old  brindle!  Ah,  aunt 
Mary,"  she  said,  after  gaining  a  little  composure, 
"  I  feel,  now,  as  if  I  ought  no  longer  to  be  a  bur 
den  to  you.  It  isn't  with  you  as  it  was." 

Gently  the  hand  of  aunt  Mary  was  laid  upon 
the  lips  of  the  girl,  and  lovingly  she  answer 
ed  :— 

"  Hush !  While  a  roof  and  a  loaf  remain  to  me, 
dear  child,  you  will  share  them.  Oh,  never,  never 
again  wound  me  by  uttering  the  words  'a  burden.' 
It  is  love  for  you,  Lucy,  that  throws  light  upon 
my  way,  that  gives  warmth  to  my  heart;  that 
brings  strength  and  cheerfulaess.  Could  I  only 
call  back  the  roses  to  your  cheeks,  I  would  be 
blessed  indeed." 

And  with  many  loving  -words,  she  sought  to 
drive  away  the  impression  which  she  had,  even 
before  this,  seen  gradually  forming  in  the  mind 
of  her  niece. 

Now  more  than  ever  did  Lucy's  thoughts  turn 
to  her  brother.  She  was  certain  he  would  send 
her  the  money  she  had  asked  for;  and  should  it 
come  by  the  post  that  day,  the  sacrifice  of 


SPARING  TO    SPEND.  57 

brindle  would  be  saved.  An  hour  afterwards  she 
saw  the  postman  turn  in  at  the  gate.  How  her 
heart  leaped !  She  was  sure  he  had  a  letter  for 
her,  and  she  was  not  mistaken.  The  welcome 
missive  was  from  Baltimore,  and  the  direction  in 
the  hand-writing  of  Mark.  Eagerly,  and  with 
unsteady  hands,  she  broke  the  seal.  There  was 
no  enclosure ! 

"  MY  DEAR  SISTER  LUCY  : — I  cannot  tell  you 
how  much  I  am  pained  to  hear  of  our  good  aunt 
Mary's  misfortune,  and  grieved  that  your  health 
continues  so  poorly.  Your  letter  could  not  have 
come  to  me  at  a  worse  time.  I  havn't  a  dollar 
by  me,  and  will  not  be  able  to  draw  on  my  salary 
for  two  months  to  come.  Then  I  will  certainly 
send  you  some  money.  Oh,  I  wish  that  I  were 
rich  for  your  sake  ! — " 

Thus  far  Lucy  read,  when  tears  blinded  her. 
She  did  not  sob,  nor  weep  aloud.  Her  disap 
pointment  was  too  deep  for  that.  But  the  pres 
sure  on  her  bosom  was  so  great  that  it  seemed 
as  if  her  heart  would  really  cease  its  throbbings. 

Mark  Pinkerton  was  the  owner  of  a  gold 
watch.  In  his  selfish  extravagance  and  pride,  he 
3* 


58  SPARING   TO    SPEND 

dreamed  not  at  how  serious  a  cost  he  had  obtain 
ed  it. 

On  the  next  morning  old  brindle  was  driven 
off  by  the  butcher.  Poor  Lucy,  worse  than 
usual,  did  not  leave  her  bed  during  the  whole 
day. 


CHAPTER     V. 


"  MRS.  Sly,"  exclaimed  Lofton,  turning  quickly 
from  his  desk,  on  hearing  his  name  uttered. 

He  had  but  a  short  time  before  reached  the 
store  in  which  he  was  employed. 

The  old  woman  dressed  for  the  street,  in  a 
faded  Scotch  plaid  cloak  and  a  rusty,  plain  black 
mode  bonnet,  stood  before  him  with  a  troubled 
expression  on  her  hard  features. 

"  Ellen  Birch  is  very  ill,  sir  !"  The  voice  of 
the  woman  was  subdued  in  tone,  and  indicative 
of  no  little  anxiety. 

"  Very  ill !  What  ails  her  ?"  asked  Lofton  hur 
riedly  and  in  alarm. 

"  I  don't  know,  I'm  sure,  Mr.  Lofton.  But  she's 
been  going  on  very  strangely  all  night.  I  think 


60  SPARING    TO   SPEND. 

she  s  some  out  of  her  head.  And  she's  got  an 
awful  high  fever." 

"  Has  the  doctor  seen  her  ?"  inquired  the  young 
man. 

"  No,  sir.  I — I — didn't  like  to — I  don't  have 
any  doctor  oi  my  OWL." 

"But  why  didn't  you  call  in  Dr.  Baker  at 
once  ?" 

"  Well,  I — I  thought  I'd  see  you  first,"  stam 
mered  the  old  woman. 

"  Is  any  one  with  her  now  ?" 

"  No,  sir.  She's  a  little  quiet,  and  I  thought  I'd 
run  down  and  tell  you.'1 

"  Go  back  then,  quickly,"  said  Lofton,  impa 
tiently  ;  "  I'll  be  there  with  the  doctor  in  a  few 
minutes." 

The  old  woman  turned  away,  but,  ere  she  had 
reached  the  door,  Lofton  passed  her  at  a  rapid 
speed.  Fortunately,  he  reached  the  office  of  Dr. 
Baker  just  in  time  to  see  him  before  he  went  out 
on  his  morning  round  of  visits.  The  doctor  ac 
companied  him  to  the  house  of  Mrs.  Sly,  which 
they  reached  before  the  old  woman's  arrival. 
Ellen  still  slept;  or,  as  Mrs.  Sly  had  said,  was 
quiet.  Her  eyes  were  closed ;  there  was  a  marked, 
rather  painful  contraction  of  forehead  and  her 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  61 

lips,  unnaturally  compressed,  had  now  and  then 
a  slight  nervous  movement. 

Doctor  Baker,  who  had  attended  Ellen  during 
her  recent  illness,  stood  gazing  at  her  wan,  suf 
fering  countenance,  for  some  moments,  without 
speaking.  Then,  with  a  shake  of  the  head,  he 
sat  down  beside  her  and  laid  his  fingers  on  her 
pulse.  As  he  did  so,  the  sick  girl  opened  her 
eyes,  fixed  them  first  on  the  doctor,  then  upon  the 
face  of  her  lover,  and  then  let  them  wander,  as  if 
searching  for  some  one  else  about  the  room.  At 
this  moment  Mrs.  Sly  came  in.  Instantly  a  look 
of  fear  darkened  the  countenance  of  Ellen,  and 
she  shrunk  closer  down  in  the  bed.  Both  the 
doctor  and  Lofton  noticed  the  sudden  change.  It 
heeded  not  the  few  incoherent  sentences  that  fell 
from  her  lips,  to  tell  them  that  the  mind  of  the 
poor  girl  wandered. 

The  only  information  Dr.  Baker  could  get 
from  Mrs.  Sly,  bearing  on  the  case,  was  that  Ellen 
had  awakened  her  in  the  night,  by  overturning  a 
chair,  and  that  on  going  to  her,  she  had  found 
her  wandering  about  the  room,  and  talking  to  her 
self  in  a  strange  way. •  The  straightforward  re 
lation  by  Lofton,  of  what  had  occurred  on  the 
evening  before,  and  his  impression  that  Ellen  had 
gone  to  work  much  too  early  since  her  illness, 


62  SPARING   TO, SPEND. 

afforded  the  doctor  sufficient  data  to  understand 
the  condition  of  his  patient. 

Such  prescription  as  the  emergency  required 
being  ordered,  the  doctor  said  in  a  low  voice  to 
Lofton : 

"  This  case  is  an  exceedingly  critical  one,  and 
by  no  means  to  be  trusted  in  the  hands  of  this 
woman.  A  faithful  nurse  is  as  much  needed  as 
a  skilful  physician.  And  good  nursing  this  sick 
girl  will  not  receive  here — at  least  not  at  the 
hands  of  Mrs.  Sly.  Has  she  no  friend  or  relative 
who  would  take  care  of  her  during  her  illness  ?" 

"She  has  no  relative,"  replied  Lofton. 

"  Then  it  would  be  better  to  have  her  removed 
to  the  Infirmary  than  trust  her  here." 

"  Oh  no,"  said  the  young  man  quickly.  "  That 
need  not  bo.  I  will  have  her  placed  in  the  hands 
of  one  who  will  be  as  kind  to  her  as  a  mother. — 
But  can  she  be  safely  removed  ?" 

"  Yes — provided  it  be  done  as  soon  as  possible 
to-day.  This  fever  will  exhaust  her  rapidly. 
To-morrow,  it  might  be  attended  with  extreme 
peril." 

"  I  will  have  her  removed  within  an  hour,"  said 
Lofton.  "  Will  you  see  her  again  this  after 
noon  ?" 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  63 

"  I  had  better  do  so.  Where  will  I  find 
her  ?" 

"  I  will  call  on  you  at  two  o'clock  in  your  office, 
and  give  the  right  direction.  Mrs.  Sly,"  he  added, 
turning  to  the  old  woman,  and  speaking  aloud — 
"  I  wish  you  to  have  Ellen's  clothes,  and  all  thai 
belongs  to  her,  packed  in  her  trunks.  In  less 
than  an  hour  I  will  be  here  in  a  carriage  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  her  away." 

"  Mr.  Lofton !"  The  old  woman  was  about  to 
remonstrate,  when  the  doctor  said — 

"  I  have  ordered  the  removal,  Mrs.  Sly,  and  it 
must  take  place  immediately." 

"  But  is  it  safe,  doctor  ?    Isn't  she  too  ill  ?" 

"  She  is  too  ill  to  remain  here,  madam,"  replied 
the  doctor,  fixing  a  stern  look  on  the  old  woman, 
who  did  not  misunderstand  the  meaning  of  his 
words. 

Soon  after,  Lofton  and  the  physician  left  the 
house  together. 

On  Mulberry  street,  some  distance  beyond 
Pearl  street,  and  then  quite  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
city,  stood  a  small  two-storied  brick  house,  a 
little  back  from,  and  with  its  gable  end  to,  the 
street.  It  was  a  half-house,  so  called.  In  front 
was  a  neat  flower-garden,  enclosed  by  white 
palings,  the  diamond  shaped  tops  painted  green. 


64  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

Every  thing  in  and  around  this  house  bore  the 
stamp  of  neatness.  Tho  front  door  opened  directly 
into  a  small  parlor,  furnished  very  plainly.  On 
the  floor  was  a  rag  carpet,  woven  into  regular 
stripes  of  black,  red  and  yellow,  which,  crossing 
each  other  at  intervals,  produced  a  good  effect. 
A  bureau,  a  mahogany  breakfast-table,  on  which 
lay  an  old  family  Bible,  six  green  Windsor  chairs, 
a  small  mantel  looking-glass,  a  pair  of  brightly- 
polished  andirons,  shovel  and  tongs,  and  a  pair 
of  brass  candlesticks,  made  up  the  furniture  of 
this  room. 

In  the  chamber  directly  over  the  parlor,  sat  a 
woman  whose  countenance  showed  her  to  be  past 
the  prime  of  life.  She  was  engaged  in  sewing, 
not  on  a  garment  for  herself,  but  on  work  for 
which  she  was  to  be  paid  a  price — for  Mrs.  Wilson, 
although  she  owned  the  comfortable  house  in 
which  she  lived,  had  no  income  beyond  what  her 
industry  secured.  The  opening  of  the  gate  caused 
her  to  lift  her  head  and  look  from  the  window. 

"  Mr.  Lofton  !  I  declare  !"  said  she,  both  pleasure 
and  surprise  in  her  tones.  And  she  laid  aside  her 
work  quickly  and  went  down  stairs,  in  time  to 
open  the  door  for  him  ere  his  hand  had  lifted  the 
little  brass  knocker  that  was  polished  to  the  ex 
treme  of  brightness. 


SPARING   TO   SPEND.  65 

"  (lood  morning,  Archie.  How  d'ye  do  ?  walk 
in.  I'm  right  glad  to  see  you  !  But  what's  the 
matter  ?  You  look  sick  or  in  trouble." . 

"  I  am  in  trouble,"  replied  the  young  man,  as 
he  seated  himself  in  Mrs.  Wilson's  little  parlor. 
"  Ellen  is  sick  again." 

"  Why,  Archie  I  I'm  sorry  to  hear  that.  Is 
she  very  sick  ?" 

"  Yes.  Dangerously  so,  Dr.  Baker  says." 
The  young  man's  voice  choked.  In  a  moment  he 
recovered  himself,  and  added,  "  She  went  to  work 
a  great  deal  too  soon,  and  now  she  is  in  a  relapse 
Her  mind  has  been  wandering  all  night." 

"Archie!" 

"  I  've  come  to  see  you  about  her,"  said 
Lofton. 

"  Well,  Archie,  any  thing  in  my  power  to  do 
for  Ellen,  shall  be  done.  You  know  I  have  always 
liked  her.  She's  a  good  and  true-hearted  girl." 

"  The  doctor  says  she's  too  ill  to  be  trusted 
with  Mrs.  Sly." 

"  It  never  was  a  good  place  for  her,"  replied 
Mrs.  Wilson.  "  Mrs.  Sly  is  not  the  right  kind  of 
a  woman.  If  she  is  so  ill  again,  she  ought  to  be 
removed,  by  all  means." 

"  The  doctor  has  suggested  the  Infirmary ;  but 


66  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

indeed,  Mrs.  Wilson,  I  cannot  bear  the  thought 
of  that." 

Mrs.  Wilson  shook  her  head. 

"  Won't  you  let  her  be  brought  here  ?"  said 
Lofton,  almost  imploringly.  "  Oh,  if  you  would, 
it  might  be  the  means  of  saving  her  life  !  I  will 
pay  you  more  for  nursing  her  than  you  can  earn 
with  your  needle.  Oh,  my  good  friend,  forgive 
me  for  asking  so  much ;  and  do  not  deny  my  re 
quest." 

"It  was  already  on  my  lips  to  make  the  offer," 
said  the  kind  lady,  smiling  yet  with  dimming 
eyes. 

"  What  a  mountain  you  have  taken  from  my 
heart!"  ejaculated  Lofton,  seizing  the  hand  of 
Mrs.  Wilson. 

Of  all  that  passed  between  them,  we  need  not 
pause  to  speak.  Mrs.  Wilson  immediately  ac 
companied  Lofton  and  assisted  in  the  removal  of 
the  sick  girl  to  her  own  house. 

"  Is  every  thing  that  belongs  to  Ellen  in  these 
trunks,"  inquired  Lofton,  when  some  time  after 
wards  he  returned  with  a  porter  to  have  them 
taken  away. 

"  Yes,  as  far  as  I  know.     But — " 


SPAH1MG    TO    SPEND.  67 

"  But  what  ?"  asked  Lofton,  seeing  hesitation 
and  perplexity  on  the  countenance  of  Mrs.  Sly. 

"  She.  owes  rne  twelve  dollars  for  board,  and  if 
I  let  them  go,  where  is  my  security  ?  She'll  die, 
maybe,  and  then  who  am  I  to  look  to  for  my 
own  ?" 

"  "Wretch  !"  was  the  involuntary  and  indignant 
exclamation  of  Lofton.  "  And  it  was  for  this  that 
you  threatened  to  send  her  to  the  poor-house  ha  ? 
But" — and  he  took  out  his  pocket-book — "  here's 
your  money.  Not  a  word  !"  he  added  sternly, 
as  the  instantly  changed  woman  began  some 
cringing  apology.  "  There  is  your  own — take  it ! 
And  now  Stephen,"  speaking  to  the  porter,  "take 
these  to  the  house  of  Mrs.  Wilson,  in  Mulberry 
street.  You  know  where  it  is." 
*  Remaining  long  enough  to  see  the  trunks  fairly 
in  the  porter's  possession,  Lofton  then  returned 
to  the  store,  from  which  he  had  been  absent  over 
two  hours. 

"  Where  have  you  been,  Archibald  ?"  one  of 
his  employers  enquired,  as  soon  as  the  young 
man  re-appeared.  Absence,  during  business 
hours,  was  a  thing  not  permitted  in  the  establish 
ment,  unless  for  causes  beyond  those  of  ordinary 
occurrence.  Knowing  this,  Lofton  felt  that  justice 


G8  SPAUING    TO    SPE.N'D. 

to  himself  required  a  clear  statement  of  his  rea 
son  for  being  away.  His  employer  listened  with 
a  good  deal  of  interest,  and  when  he  had  con- 
eluded,  asked  the  name  of  the  person  in  whom 
his  clerk  had  been  so  much  interested.  On  hear 
ing  it,  he  said — 

"  Ellen  Birch.     Isn't  she  a  dress-maker  ?" 

"  She  is,"  replied  Lofton. 

"  Oh,  I  remember  her  very  well  now.  She  has 
worked  for  my  family,  off  and  on,  during  the  last 
few  years.  And  is  she  so  very  ill  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  Dr.  Baker  considers  the  case  ex 
ceedingly  critical." 

"  I'm  really  pained  to  hear  it,  Archibald.  She's 
an  excellent  girl.  My  wife  and  daughters  are 
much  attached  to  her,  and  will  be  grieved  to  hear 
of  her  sickness.  Where  did  you  say  she  had 
been  removed  ?" 

"  To  Mrs.  Wilson's,  in  Mulberry,  a  little  be 
yond  Pearl  street." 

"  I'll  remember  that.  Some  of  my  family  will 
see  her  immediately,  and  do  all  they  can  for  her 
comfort.  Dr.  Baker  is  attending  her  ?" 

«  Yes,  sir." 

"  She  couldn't  be  in  better  hands.  How  long 
have  you  known  her,  Archibald  ?" 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  69 

"  A  long  time,  sir." 

"  And,  excuse  ray  freedom,  are  no  doubt  under 
an  engagement  of  marriage  with  her." 

"  It  is  true,  sir." 

"  A  wise  choice,  my  young  friend.  She  will 
make  you  an  excellent  wife.  Don't  let  her  illness 
trouble  you  too  much.  A  good  physician  and  good 
nursing  will,  I  am  sure,  soon  bring  all  right  again. 
You  have  my  full  permission  to  be  absent,  while 
she  remains  so  very  sick,  as  often  as  may  be 
needful." 

Briefly  but  earnestly  Lofton  expressed  his 
grateful  thanks  for  this  kind  interest  on  the  part 
of  his  employer,  and  once  more  resumed  his  daily 
tasks. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


FROM  this  time,  during  a  period  of  three 
months,  there  was  a  steady  draught  on  the  sum 
which  Lofton  had  accumulated ;  but  the  diminu 
tion  gave  him  pleasure,  not  pain.  A  source,  it 
proved,  of  deep  gratification  that  he  was  able  to 
procure  for  Ellen,  during  a  long  and  dangerous 
illness,  the  comforts  of  a  home,  and  the  loving 
care  of  one  who  nursed  her  with  the  tenderness 
of  a  mother.  As  the  sick  girl  began  to  recover 
strength,  and  her  mind  to  acquire  something  of 
its  wonted  activity,  her  native  independence  and 
maidenly  delicacy  threw  a  shadow  over  her  fee'l- 
ings,  and  produced  something  of  reserve  towards 
her  lover.  Gradually  she  learned,  through 
guarded  answers  to  her  questions,  both  from 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  71 

Lofton  and  Mrs.  Wilson,  all  about  her  removal 
from  the  house  of  Mrs.  Sly,  and  her  present 
actual  dependence  on  the  generosity  of  the  young 
man,  to  whose  prompt  interference  she  was  in 
debted  for  life  itself. 

Ellen  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  not 
only  to  sit  up  a  greater  part  of  each  day,  but  to 
walk  a  few  squares,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  Lofton. 
Strength  was  coming  back  rapidly.  Already,  a 
faint  flush  might  be  seen  on  her  cheeks,  and  the 
brightness  of  returning  health  in  her  eyes,  '  It 
was  now  midsummer.  Earlier  than  usual,  one 
afternoon,  and  ere  the  twilight  succeeding  the 
long  day  had  closed  in,  Lofton  called  upon  Ellen. 
He  opened  the  little  parlor  door  without  knock 
ing.  There  she  sat,  near  the  window,  sewing, 
while  on  the  table  beside  her  were  portions  of  a 
new  silk  dress,  the  rich  materials  and  fashionable 
style  of  which  left  him  in  no  doubt  as  to  the  na 
ture  of  her  employment.  The  work  from  a  cus 
tomer.  The  flush  on  her  cheek,  which  he  had 
marked,  at  his  last  visit,  with  so  much  pleasure, 
was  gone ;  and  lines  of  weariness  were  too  visible 
on  her  brow.  » 

"  Why,  Ellen !"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  surprise, 


72  SPARING   TO   SPEND. 

"  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  You  are  not  well 
enough  to  go  to  work  yet." 

"  I'm'  gaining  strength  very  fast,  Archie,"  she 
replied,  smiling  cheerfully.  "  It's  over  two 
months,  now,  that  I've  been  idle,  and  a  burden 
to  others — "  her  voice  slightly  faltered  on  the 
word  "  burden,"  while  her  eyes  drooped  beneath 
the  earnest  gaze  of  her  companion — "  and  I  shall 
feel  better  to  be  doing  something,  if  it  is  ever  so 
little.  Mrs.  Brown  was  here,  yesterday,  and 
urged  me  so  strongly  to  make  this  dress  for  her, 
that  I  couldn't  well  refuse." 

"  Mrs.  Brown  has  neither  feeling  nor  conside» 
ration  !"  said  the  young  man,  with  more  than  his 
ordinary  warmth  of  speech. 

"  I  would  rather  make  it  than  not,"  replied 
Ellen,  showing  some  slight  confusion  of  manner. 
"  I  feel  a  great  deal  stronger,  and  must  begin  to 
do  something." 

"  You  began  too  soon  before,  and  against  all 
my  earnest  persuasion.  The  imprudence  came 
near  costing  you  your  life.  Do  not,  let  rne  beg 
of  you,  Ellen,  act  so  unwisely  again.  Send  the 
dress  back  to  Mrs.  Brown,  and  tell  her  that  you 
find  yourself  too  weak  to  finish  it.  If  she  be  a 
true  woman,  she  will  take  no  offence," 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  73 

"  But  I  think  I  am  well  enough,''  persisted 
Eilen. 

"  No,  child,  you  are  not,"  said  Mrs.  Wilson, 
now  coming  into  the  room,  and  replying  to  her 
last  sentence,  "  and  I  have  told  you  so  before. 
But  she  has  a  woman's  will,  Archie,  and  a  pretty 
strong  one." 

"  Now,  don't  say  that,  Mrs.  Wilson,"  quickly 
spoke  up  Ellen,  slightly  coloring.  She  felt  that, 
to  the  ear  of  her  lover,  there  was  something  dis 
paraging  in  the  remark. 

"  I  do  say  it,  child,"  returned  Mrs.  Wilson. 
"  Havn't  I  been  talking  to  you  all  day,  and  telling 
you  how  wrong  it  was  to  attempt  this  work  with 
your  present  strength." 

"  But,  Mrs.  Wilson,"  urged  Ellen,  "  you  know 
my  reasons  for  wishing  to  make  this  dress.  You 
know — you  know — " 

Ellen  did  not  finish  the  sentence.  Her  face 
was  still  more  suffused,  and  she  bent  it  so  low 
upon  her  bosom,  that  its  expression  was  con 
cealed. 

"  I  know,"  returned  Mrs.  Wjlson,  thrown  a 
little  off  of  her  guard  by  excitement  of  feelingj 
"  that  Mrs.  Hly  has  no  claim  on  you  so  imperative 
4 


71  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

that  life  itself  must  be  put  in  jeopardy  to  secure 
the  payment." 

"  Mrs.  Sly  !"  ejaculated  Lofton.  "  And,  pray 
what  claim  has  she  upon  Ellen  ?" 

"  Oh  !  Mrs.  "Wilson,"  said  Ellen,  in  real  dis 
tress,  "how  could  you  speak  so  ?" 

Mrs.  "Wilson  was  silent.  She  felt  that  she  had 
done  wrong  in  thus  referring,  in  the  presence  of 
Ellen's  lover,  to  the  existence  of  an  embarrassing 
pecuniary  obligation.  Lofton  comprehended  all 
in  a  moment,  and  said — 

"Let  both  of  your  hearts  be  at  rest  on  this  sub 
ject.  Mrs.  Sly  has  not  the  shadow  of  a  claim  on 
Ellen." 

"  I  believe  you  are  in  error,  there,"  answered 
Mrs.  Wilson,  who,  not  choosing  to  understand 
Lofton,  went  on  to  explain  somewhat  particularly 
the  state  of  affairs  between  Ellen  and  Mrs.  Sly , 
dwelling,  as  she  did  so,  with  some  prominence, 
on  the  previous  sickness  of  Ellen,  as  the  cause  of 
her  indebtedness. 

"  Not  the  least  in  error,"  said  the  young  man 
smiling,  when  ^  Mrs.  Wilson  ended  her  explana 
tions.  "  Mrs.  Sly  has  no  claim,  not  even  to  the 
value  of  a  barley-corn,  upon  Ellen." 

The  young  girl  raised  her  suffused   face   and 


SPARING    TO    SPENI).  75 

looking  reproachfully  at  Lofton.  The  meaning  of 
his  last  remark  she  clearly  understood.  Far 
deeper  than  this  reproachful  glance,  the  eyes  of  the 
young  man  penetrated,  and  saw  radiant  and 
beautiful  a  look  of  grateful,  confiding  love. 

Silence  succeeded,  and  a  gradual  calming  down 
of  excited  feelings.  Then  Lofton  related  his 
closing  interview  with  Mrs.  Sly,  and  on  conclud 
ing  the  narrative,  turned  to  Ellen  and  said  ab 
ruptly, — "  What  would  you  have  done,  had  you 
been  in  my  place  ?" 

"  Just  as  you  did,"  replied  Mi's.  Wilson,  before 
Ellen  had  time  to  frame  an  answer.  "  And,  now 
that  we  all  understand  each  other,  let  us  give  a 
little  thought  to  the  future.  It  is  plain  that 
Ellen's  health  will  be  permanently  injured  if  she 
persist  in  doing  as  she  did  before.  Now  that  she 
has  agreed  to  make  this  dress  for  Mrs.  Brown,  I 
do  not  positively  object  to  her  finishing  it,  pro 
vided  she  work  only  a  few  honrs  each  day.  But, 
I  should  regard  the  taking  in  of  any  more  work, 
for  at  least  a  month  or  six  weeks  to  come,  as  posi 
tively  wrong." 

"  But,  Mrs.  Wilson,"  interposed  Ellen,  "  I  can 
not  live  in  idleness,  I  cannot — " 

"You  are,  for  the  present,  under  our  guardian- 


76  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

ship,  my  child,"  said  Mrs.  Wilson,  laying  her 
hand  tenderly  on  that  of  the  young  girl.  "  Leave 
to  us  the  care  of  thinking  and  acting  for  you  in 
the  present.  When  able  to  walk  alone,  we  will 
restore  all  your  freedom.  Can  you  not  trust  us  ? 
Have  you  not  faith  in  our  love  for  you  ?" 

"  Oh  yes — all  faith — all  trust,"  answered  Ellen, 
betraying  strong  emotions.  A  flood  of  tears  came 
to  the  relief  of  her  oppressed  feelings,  and  she 
wept  for  a  time  freely.  How  weak  and  depen 
dent  she  now  felt.  Bravely  had  she  striven  to 
stand  alone,  while  the  thought  of  leaning  upon 
her  lover  for  support,  was  something  from  which 
her  mind  shrunk  with  an  instinctive  sense  of  in 
delicacy.  Yet,  in  her  earnest  struggle,  she  had 
fallen  to  the  earth,  and  his  was  the  hand  that 
raised  her  up — his  the  arm  that  still  sustained 
her. 

The  barriers  of  reserve  were  all  broken  down. 
Though  formally  betrothed  to  each  other,  yet  no 
marriage  day  had  been  named,  because  the  cir 
cumstances  of  Lofton  were  not  such  as  to  justify 
the  step.  Both  were  young,  and  both  willing  to 
wait  the  better  time  coming  in  the  future.  Such 
being  the  case,  a  certain  maidenly  reserve  had 
marked  the  intercourse  of  Ellen  with  her  lover. 


SPARING    TO    SPL.NU.  77 

But  the  evening  they  spent  ulone  after' the  inter 
view  just  described,  was  one  marked  by  a  different 
tone  of  thought  and  feeling  from  any  that  had 
gone  before.  Circumstances  utterly  beyond  her 
control  had  left  Ellen  helpless.  His  arm  was  in 
stantly  reached  forth  to  protect  and  to  sustain  her. 
She  had  leaned  upon  it  in  utter  weakness,  and 
now  that  her  step  still  faltered,  she  could  not 
refuse  the  support  so  earnestly  and  so  lovingly 
proffered.  And  as  her  thoughts  took  new  forms, 
while  she  listened  to  all  his  more  freely  uttered 
plans  for  the  future,  and  saw  herself  leaning  still 
in  her  weakness  upon  him,  a  deep  interior  joy 
warmed  her  bosom.  She  felt  herself  drawn  nearer 
to  him  :  felt  her  life  blended,  as  it  were,  with  his. 
A  higher  respect  for  his  manly  intelligence,  and  a 
higher  confidence  in  his  manly  virtues,  were  also 
inspired.  In  her  almost  abject  weakness,  new 
strength  had  been  born. 

When  Lofton  parted  from  Ellen  on  that  even 
ing,  there  was  something  of  despondency  and  im 
patience  in  his  heart. 

"  Oh,  that  my  income  were  larger  !"  he  ex 
claimed,  throwing  out  his  hands  as  he  gained  the 
street,  after  leaving  the  house  of  Mrs.  Wilson. 
And  then,  with  bowed  head,  in  deep  meditation, 


78  SI'AJRINO     TO    SPEND. 

he  took  his  way  homeward.  Earnestly,  as  he 
walked  along,  did  he  ponder  the  present  and  the 
future.  He  still  had  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  in  the  Savings'  Fund.  With  a  salary  of 
only  four  hundred  dollars,  and  but  a  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  a-head,  would  it  be  prudent  to  take 
so  important  a  step  as  marriage  ?  This  was  the 
distinct  proposition  in  his  mind.  It  was  very  far 
from  being  decided,  when  he  reached  his  boarding 
house.  The  hour  was  late,  at  least  for  him.  On 
entering  the  parlor,  he  found  no  one  there  but 
Pinkerton,  who  was  walking  the  floor  with 
uneasy  step. 

"  I'm  glad  you've  come  at  last,  Archie,"  said 
the  young  man.  "  I've  been  waiting  for  you  all 
the  evening.  Just  walk  up  to  my  room.  I  have 
Bomething  very  particular  to  say  to  you.  " 

"  Nothing  wrong,  I  hope,"  remarked  Lofton, 
who  saw  that  his  friend  was  much  disturbed. 

As  soon  as  they  were  in  the  room,  Pinkerton 
drew  a  letter  from  his  pocket,  and,  handing  it  to 
Lofton,  said — 

"  Read  that." 

The  letter  was  from  his  sister,  and  the  con 
tents  were  as  follows: — 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  79 

"  DEAR  BROTHER  MARK — I  feel  a  little  stronger 
to-day,  and  aunt  Mary,  after  a  good  deal  of  per 
suasion,  has  consented  to  let  me  bear  the  fatigue 
of  writing.  She  has  propped  me  up  in  bed  with 
pillows,  and  opened  the  large  Bible  before  me,  on 
which  to  lay  my  paper.  I  have  grown  very,  very 
weak,  brother.  It  may  be,  that  I  shall  never 
have  strength  to  write  you  again.  And  I  want 
you  just  to  answer  this,  if  it  is  ever  so  briefly. 
It  is  nearly  three  months,  now,  since  your  last 
letter  came.  What  a  long  time  it  has  seemed ! 
the  longer  that  I  had  so  many  reasons  for  wishing 
to  hear  from  you.  Oh,  I  should  like  so  much  to 
see  you,  Mark.  Can't  you  leave  business  for  H 
week,  and  make  us  a  visit  ?  Aunt  Mary  will  be 
delighted,  and  I — oh,  I  shall  weep  for  very  joy. 
Do  come,  brother !  I  don't  think  I  have  much 
longer  to  live  in  this  world.  You  don't  know 
how  much  I  have  failed.  .  I  hardly  think  you 
would  know  me. 

"  Should  I  never  see  you  again,  Mark,  let  this 
be  my  dying  request, — Don't  forget  Aunt  Mary  ! 
She  has  been  all  to  me  that  a  mother  could  have 
been.  I  mentioned,  in  my  last  letter,  that  she 
had  lost  her  bank  stock.  Deprived  of  the  income 
it  yielded,  she  has  since  been  in-  much  embarrass- 


80  fci'AUING    TO    SPJi.ND. 

ment,  and,  at  times,  greatly  depressed  in  spirits. 
How  my  heart  aches  for  her  !  Don't  forget  kct; 
Mark,  when  I  am  gone.  I  feel  too  weak  to  writo 
any  longer.  Try,  won't  you,  to  come  and  see 
me  ?  Oh,  I  want  to  look  upon  your  face  again 
before  I  die.  Do  come,  dear  brother  ! 

"  From  your  loving  sister, 

"  LUCY.' 

Lofton  read  this  letter  through,  and  then  lift 
ing  his  eyes  to  the  face  of  Pinkerton,  which 
showed  great  disturbance,  said — 

"You  will  see  your  sister,  and  that  imme 
diately." 

"  I  must  see  her.  Poor  Lucy !  I  had  no  idea 
that  she  was  failing  so  rapidly." 

"  Under  the  circumstances,  there  will,  of  course, 
be  no  difficulty  in  your  obtaining  a  week's  leave 
of  absence." 

"  O  no.  Tnere  '11  be  no  difficulty  on  that  score. 
But "  Pinkerton  paused. 

"But  what?" 

"  "Want  of  funds  is  the  great  trouble.  The 
fact  is,  Archie,  I  can't  think  of  going  to  see 
Lucy  with  less  than  a  hundred  dollars  in  my 
pocket.  Twenty  to  bear  my  expenses,  and  the 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  81 

rest  for  her.  I  blame  myself  bharply  for  not 
having  sent  her  a  supply  of  money  weeks  ago. 
She  wrote  to  me  of  aunt  Mary's  loss,  and  how 
oppressed  she  was  by  a  sense  of  dependence.  I 
had  no  money  then,  and  was  embarrassed  by 
sundry  small  debts.  It  is  little,  if  anything, 
better  now.  Still,  matters  have  reached  a  crisis, 
and  1  must  get  the  needed  sum  if  I  borrow  it. 
You  have  money  in  the  Savings'  Fund.  Lend 
me  a  hundred  dollars  for  six  months.  I  will  pay 
you  good  interest.  I  would  not  ask  the  favor, 
were  not  my  wants  so  imperative." 

"  My  own  wants,  Mark,"  replied  Lofton,  "  are 
nearly  as  imperative  as  yours.  1  have  now  but  a 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  the  fund,  and  shall 
in  all  probability,  use  the  whole  of  it  within 
three  months  from  this  time." 

"  Imperative  as  mine  !"  exclaimed  Pinkerton, 
greatly  excited,  and  with  something  rude  and 
contemptuous  in  his  voice.  "And  in  your  cold 
calculation,  you  will  let  the  pleading  voice  of  a 
dying  sister  quiver  on  the  air  in  vain  ?" 

"  No,  Mark,"  returned  Lofton,  calmly ;  "  I  will 
not  do  this.  Against  you,  if  against  any  one, 
will  lie  the  charge." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?" 
4* 


82  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

'•'  Your  real  wants  are  no  larger  than  mine, 
while  your  income  is  larger.  Am  I  to  blame 
that  no  part  of  your  earnings  have  been  reserved, 
through  self-denial,  for  an  only  sister,  wasting 
away  by  disease,  dependent  and  helpless  ?  The 
little  that  I  have  saved,  I  shall  want  in  a  very 
short  time,  and  for  a  purpose  quite  as  near  my 
heart  as  yours.  To  put  it  out  of  my  power  to  serve 
this  purpose  I  think  would  be  criminal ;  and  for  the 
reason  that  another's  very  life  may  depend  on 
my  ability  to  extend  aid  and  comfort.  Borrow 
somewhere  else ;  or  get  an  advance  on  your  sa 
lary,  which  a  representation  of  your  pressing 
need  will  readily  secure.  But,  don't  urge  me 
farther ;  for  L  regard  the  fulfilment  of  my  own 
obligations  in  life  as  my  first  duty.  A  sense  of 
this  may  narrow  my  views  somewhat;  may  lead 
me  to  feel  little  inclined  to  aid  others  in  fulfilling 
their  neglected  obligations — but  so  it  is." 

Though  the  words  of  Lofton  were  full  of  re 
buke,  yet  his  tone  and  manner  which  were  un- 
impassioned,  and  even  kind,  allayed,  rather  than 
excited  the  feelings  of  Pinkerton,  who  rather 
coldly  apologized  for  his  hasty  remark,  and  then 
changed  the  subject.  Lofton  soon  after  retired  to 
his  own  room.  Half  the  night  he  lay  awake, 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  83 

pondering  the  questions  excited  by  his  recent  in 
terview  with  Ellen.  And  equally  wakeful  was 
Pinkerton.  Never  had  the  latter  felt  so  deeply 
disturbed  in  mind.  He  loved  his  sister  as  much 
as  it  was  possible  for  a  man  like  him  to  love  any 
one.  There  were  ;  many  early  memories  that 
bound  her  to  his  heart;  and  when  these  were 
stirred,  he  thought  of  her  with  real  tenderness. 
They  were  stirred,  now,  even  in  their  remotest 
chambers.  Had  he  possessed  thousands  of  dol 
lars,  and  the  sum  were  needed  for  her  comfort  of 
mind  or  body,  in  his  present  state  all  would  have 
been  freely  given.  But,  he  had  nothing.  In 
useless  trifles,  and  vain  self-indulgence,  all  and 
more  than  all  of  his  income  had  been  spent ;  and 
now,  when  half  of  what  he  had  foolishly  wasted 
in  a  twelve-month  would  have  filled  the  heart  of 
his  dying  sister  with  gladness,  he  had  nothing 
for  the  emergency. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


THE  meeting  of  Lofton  and  Pinkerton  the  next 
morning,  was  attended  by  a  certain  coldness  and 
reserve.  Not  that  the  former  wished  to  appear 
cool,  or  the  latter  to  seem  offended.  Both,  in 
memory  of  their  recent  conversation,  and  the 
causes  leading  thereto,  felt  a  measure  of  sobriety, 
and  this  showed  itself  in  their  exterior. 

A  careful  review  of  his  pecuniary  affairs,  and  a 
summing  up  of  his  resources,  which  had  been  made 
by  Pinkerton  during  the  sleepless  hours  of  the 
preceding  night,  in  no  way  lessened  the  embarrass 
ment  of  his  situation.  More  than  once,  in  ask 
ing  for  small  advances  on  his  salary,  his  employers 
had  expressed  surprise  that  a  young  man,  with 
rio  one  but  himseff  to  support,  should,  being  in 


SPATUNQ    TO    SI'EXD.  •         .85 

thu  receipt  of  six  hundred  dollars  a  year,  be 
under  the  necessity  of  making  such  a  request. 
And  the  last  time  he  did  sp,  it  was  hinted  that 
he  must  make  a  bad  use  of  a  part  of  his  money. 
Under  these  circumstances,  again  to  ask  an 
advance,  and  especially  of  so  large  a  sum  as  one 
hundred  dollars,  he  felt  to  be  doubtful  policy,. 
He  could,  it  is  true,  urge  the  serious  illness  and 
dependent  condition  of  his  sister.  But,  a  certain 
feeling  of  shame  deterred  him  from  this.  "Were 
he  to  do  so,  his  neglect  of  that  sister  could 
hardly,  without  falsehood,  be  concealed — and  he 
had,  naturally,  too  high  a  regard  for  truth  to 
make  of  it  so  direct  a  violation.  This  mode  of 
raising  the  desired  sum  was,  therefore,  after 
due  deliberation,  abandoned.  Other  efforts  to 
borrow  were  then  made.  But,  none  of  his  ap 
plications  during  that  day  were  successful.  In 
fact,  a  week  elapsed  before  he  was  able  to  get  the 
sum  of  fifty  dollars,  and  then  obtaining  leave  of 
absence  for  a  few  days,  he  started  for  the  village 
where  his  sister  resided.  Had  Lofton  needed 
four  times  the  sum,  he  could  have  obtained  it  in 
an  hour;  but  Pinkerton's  credit  was  not  held  in 
very  high  estimation,  and  people  who  had  money 
did  not  much  care  to  lend  it  to  a  young  man  of 


86  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

extravagant  habits,  who  was  never  over-prompt 
in  meeting  his  little  obligations. 

We  now  transfer  our  readers  to  the  pleasant 

little  village  of  L ,  the  residence  of  Lucy 

Pinkerton.  Her  letter  to  her  brother  was  no 
overdrawn  picture.  The  last  sands  in  time's 
hour-glass  were  falling.  The  effort  to  write,  as 
aunt  Mary  Jones  had  feared,  exhausted  her  very 
much ;  and,  to  the  increasing  uneasiness  of  her 
kind  relative,  she  did  not  rally  again  from  the 
prostrate  condition  in  which  it  left  her.  On  the 
day  following,  she  remained  in  a  half  sleeping, 
half-waking  condition,  noticing  little  that  passed, 
and  only  speaking  in  answer  to  some  enquiry. 
On  the  second  day,  she  was  something  brighter, 
but  did  not  attempt  to  sit  up  even  in  bed.  On 
the  third  morning,  in  coming  early  into  her 
room,  Mrs.  Jones  was  both  pleased  and  surprised 
to  find  her  propped  up  with  pillows — the  work 
of  her  own  hands — her  face  all  a-glow,  and  her 
eyes  bright. 

"Why  Lucy  dear  !  How  are  you,  this  morn 
ing  ?"  said  Mrs  Jones. 

"  Oh,  I  feel  so  much  better,  aunt  Mary.  I've 
been  awake  ever  since  day  dawn,  and  now,  I'm 
just  waiting  for  the  sun  to  look  over  the  moun- 


SFARING    TO    SPEND.  8? 

tain.  I  dreamed  all  night  about  Mark.  I'm 
sure  he'll  come  to  day." 

"Don't  set  your  heart  too  much  on  that, 
child,"  said  aunt  Mary.  "  If  Mark  started  by  the 
very  next  stage  after  getting  your  letter,  he  could 
only  arrive  to-day.  You  may  receive  an  answer 
saying  that  he  will  be  here  to-morrow,  or  next 
day  :  but  I  wouldn't  count  on  anything  beyond, 
for  fear  of  disappointment,  and  you  are  too  weak 
to  bear  even  that.'1 

As  Mrs.  Jones  spoke,  something  of  the  light 
faded  from  Lucy's  countenance.  She  answered  : 

"  I'm  sure  he  will  come  to-day.  He  wouldn't 
linger  a  moment  after  getting  my  letter,  for  I 
told  him—" 

Lucy  checked  herself. 

"  Told  him  what,  love  ?"  Mrs.  Jones  leaned 
over,  and  laid  her  hand  softly  on  the  white  fore 
head  of  the  invalid. 

But  Lucy  did  not  answer.  Slowly  her  long 
lashes  drooped,  until  their  dark  fringes  lay  upon 
ner  colorless  cheeks.  A  little  while  she  com 
muned  with  herself,  and  then  her  calm,  deep, 
spiritual  eyes  rested  again  upon  the  face  of  her 
relative. 


88  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

"  That  if  he  did  not  come  immediately,  he 
might  not  look  upon  my  living  face." 

Did  the  voice  falter  that  uttered  these  words  ? 
No  :  it  betrayed  nothing  of  human  weakness — no 
mortal  dread.  Afar  off,  Death  had  seemed  to 
Lucy  a  very  king  of  terrors.  But,  as  he  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  less  of  earthly  atmosphere 
intervened,  the  distorted  image  gave  place  to  a 
form  of  angelic  beauty.  The  valley  into  which 
we  must  all  descend,  looked  down  upon  from  some 
far  distant  mountain,  was  dark  and  fearful : 
but  rays  of  heavenly  light  were  now  piercing 
every  gloomy  recess,  and  she  saw  it  but  as  a  safe 
passage  to  a  world  of  joy  beyond. 

Aunt  Mary  Jones  was  not  self-deceived  in  regard 
to  Lucy.  That  the  time  of  her  departure  was 
near  at  hand,  she  knew  by  many  unerring  signs. 
.How  gently,  and  earnestly,  and  guardedly — even 
while  her  own  heart  grew  faint  as  she  thought  of 
the  coming  separation — had  this  excellent  woman 
sought  to  lift  the  mind  of  Lucy  upward  into  the 
contemplation  of  things  heavenly.  Yet,  even  as 
she  did  so,  the  pupil  often  became  the  teacher. 
Far  above  the  uplifting  word  of  aunt  Mary, 
would  soar  the  spirit  of  Mary. 

Xever  before  had  the  sick  girl  spoken  in  such 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  89 

direct  terms  of  her  approaching  death.  At  the 
first  utterance,  Mrs.  Jones  felt  a  thrill  along  every 
nerve.  But  after  a  slight  effort  at  self-composure, 
she  was  able  to  say,  in  a  voice  of  tender  en 
couragement  : 

"  And  you  really  think,  my  dear  child,  that  the 
change  is  so  near  at  hand  ?" 

"  It  cannot  be  very  fur  off  now,  aunt  Mary," 
was  calmly  replied.  This  poor  body  is  nearly 
worn  out.  It  scarcely  obeys  the  smallest  demand 
for  action." 

"  And  your  heart  beats  evenly  ?" , 

Lucy  took  the  hand  of  her  relative,  and  laid  it 
against  her  breast. 

"  Is  not  the  motion  undisturbed  ?"  she  asked, 
smiling.  Yet,  why  should  it  be  disturbed  ?" 

"  True.     Angels  will  attend  you  !" 

"  I  feel  their  presence  already,"  said  Lucy. 
"  Oh,  why  should  I  be  fearful  ? — why  should  I 
shrink  and  tremble  ?  I  shall  sleep  sweetly,  and 
awake  ;  and  the  awaking  will  be  my  resurrection 
into  eternal  life.  An  earthly  night — a  heavenly 
morning  !  As  a  child  lays  its  weary  head  on  ita 
mother's  bosom,  and  falls  away  into  sweet  slum 
ber,  so  will  I  sink  to  rest.  A  brief  season  of 
blessed  unconsciousness,  and  then  refreshed  and 


90  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

happy  as  that  child,  I  will  awake  in  a  world  of 
spiritual  life  and  beauty.  Will  it  not  be  so?" 

"  It  will,  my  child  !  It  will !"  replied  aunt 
Mary.  Her  voice  betrayed  her  struggling  emo 
tions. 

"  A  world,  whose  excellence  and  beauty  are 
dimly  shadowed  forth  in  our  natural  world,  where 
things  visible  give  faint  images  of  things  invisible. 
A  world  wherein  are  the  real  things  which  have 
so  many  lovely  types  in  this.  How  often  have 
you  told  me  of  that  world,  dear  aunt;  and  how, 
of  late,  I  have  loved  to  hear  you  speak  of  it.  All 
is  to  rne  a  blessed  reality.  It  does  not  seem  as  if 
I  were  going  to  a  strange  country.  As  if  I  were 
about  launching  my  bark  on  a  dark  river,  flowing 
towards  an  unknown  shore.  All  such  gloomy 
images  have  ceased  to  haunt  me.  My  heart 
blesses  you,  dear  aunt,  for  the  beautiful  faith  into 
which  you  have  led  me.  I  lean  my  head  upon  it 
as  a  downy  pillow — I  repose  on  it  as  on  a  couch." 

"  May  you  sleep  your  last  sleep  on  it  sweetly, 
peacefully,  confidingly !"  said  Mrs.  Jones,  so  low 
that  her  voice  was  almost  a  whisper.  And  she 
pressed  her  lips  to  those  of  her  fading  flower, 
whose  odor  was  exhaling  to  heaven. 

From  this  state,  thoughts  of  her  brother  soon 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  91 

drew  Lucy  down  again  to  the  earth.  Natura*. 
affection  still  held  over  her  its  potent  influence, 
and  so  far  as  Mark  was  concerned,  appeared  to 
grow  stronger  and  stronger  the  nearer  her  depar 
ture  came.  As  the  time  wore  on,  and  the  hour 
approached  when  the  stage  from  Baltimore  usually 
came  in,  Lucy's  expectation  grew  disturbing  in 
its  intensity.  Her  kind  relative  saw  this,  and 
tried  to  divert  her  mind  from  the  narrow  and  too 
rapid  current  in  which  it  was  flowing  :  but  her 
effort  was  fruitless.  She  thought  only  of  Mark 
and  the  joy  of  the  meeting  soon  to  take  place. 

"  What  time  is  it  now,  aunt  Mary  ?"  she  asked, 
late  in  the  afternoon,  as  Mrs.  Jones  came  into 
her  room. 

"  Nearly  six  o'clock,"  replied  Mrs.  Jones. 

"  Is  it  so  late  ?"  There  was  disappointment 
in  Lucy's  voice. 

"Yes,  dear." 

"  The  stage  sometimes  gets  here  as  early  as  five, 
does  it  not  ?" 

"  It  is  hardly  ever  later,"  answered  Mrs.  Jones. 

"  I  wonder  if  it  is  in  ?"  A  shadow  of  disappoint 
ment  was  already  gathering  on  her  face. 

"  I  think  it  most  likely.     Yes — it  is  in,  Lucy — 


92  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

and  must  have  arrived  halt'  an  hour  ago,  for  there 
goes  Wilkins,  the  driver,  now,  on  his  way  nome." 

How  quickly  the  already  gathering  shadows 
darkened  on  the  face  of  Lucy  Pinkerton.  She 
made  no  exclamation — uttered  no  word  of  disap 
pointment — seemed  not  to  feel  acutely — slowly 
the  long,  dark  lashes  fell  upon  her  cheeks. 

"  Oh,  Mark  !  Mark  !"  said  Mrs.  Jones,  speaking 
to  herself,  as  she  stood  looking  sadly  down  upon 
the  pure,  white  face  of  Lucy — "  If  your  love  had 
been  even  as  the  shadow  of  her  love,  that  sum 
mons  would  have  brought  you  here  to-day." 

Then,  stooping  down  and  touching  with  her 
lips  the  forehead  of  the  sick  girl,  she  whispered — • 

"  Don't  let  your  thoughts  dwell  upon  this  too 
intently.  I  did  not  expect  him  to-day.  But,  to 
morrow,  he  will  no  doubt  be  here." 

There  was  a  motion  of  the  lips,  and  a  slight 
quivering  of  the  eyelids,  as  if  Lucy  were  about 
to  look  up  and  speak.  But  neither  lips  nor  eyes 
unclosed.  As  aunt  Mary  still  bent  over  and 
gazed  tenderly  down  upon  her,  two  tears  came 
stealing  out  from  beneath  the  closed  lashes,  and 
then  a  low  sob  struggled  up  from  the  grieving 
heart  of  the  failing  invalid.  With  the  wise  in 
stinct  of  a  loving  woman,  Mrs.  Jones  uttered  a 


FPAHIXG    TO    SPEND.  93 

few  words,  hoping  thereby  to  unseal  the  fountain 
of  tears.  They  were  not  spoken  in  vain.  The 
trickling  drops  were  succeeded  by  a  gushing 
stream,  and  the  pent-up  waters  flowed  forth,  re 
lieving  the  oppressed  bosom.  Briefly,  the  wreak 
frame  of  Lucy  quivered  with  excess  of  feeling.. 
Then  all  was  calm  again. 

"  I  am  but  a  foolish  child,  aunt  Mary,"  she 
said,  after  entire  self-possession  was  restored, 
"  and  you  will  forgive  my  weakness.  You  warned 
me  against  building  too  much  on  the  coming  of 
Mark  to-day.  But  T  had  set  my  heart  so  on 
seeing  him,  that  I  felt  certain  he  would  be  here. 
The  bitterness  of  my  disappointment  is  over, 
now,  and  I  can  wait  patiently.  To-morrow  he 
will  come." 

It  was  on  the  lips  of  Mrs.  Jones  to  say  that, 
even  in  this  expectation,  she  must  not  be  too  san 
guine  ;  but  she  could  not  find  it  in  her  heart  to 
utter  the  words. 

The  reaction  \ipon  Lucy's  excited  state  of  mind, 
during  this  day,  came,  as  reaction  ever  follows 
undue  excitement  of  any  kind.  When,  after 
leaving  her  for  half  an  hour  to  attend  to  some 
household  duties,  Mrs.  Jones  returned  to  her 
chamber,  she  found  Lucy  in  a  very  low  and 


94  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

prostrate  condition.  The  food  she  had  prepared 
for  her  was  not  even  tasted,  and,  during  the  whole 
evening,  she  remained  in  so  low  a  state  as  to 
excite  in  the  mind  of  her  relative  the  most  pain 
ful  anxiety. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


MORNING  found  Lucy  again  in  a  state  of  lively 
expectation.  The  fear  that  Mark  would  not  come, 
naturally  caused  doubts  to  arise  in  the  mind  of 
Mrs.  Jones.  But  these,  often  as  they  were  on 
her  lips,  she  could  not  gain  her  own  consent  to 
utter.  The  day  wore  on.  It  was  three,  four,  five, 
six  o'clock,  and  still,  though  the  ear  of  Lucy  was 
alive  to  every  sound,  she  listened  in  vain  for  the 
foot-fall  or  voice  of  the  expected  one. 

"  Is  the  stage  in  yet  ?"  inquired  Mrs.  Jones  of 
a  neighbor,  who  went  by, 

"Laws,  yes :  ever  so  long  ago,"  was  the  answer. 

With  a  heavy  heart,  aunt  Mary  went  up  to  the 
chamber  of  Lucy.  What  an  eager,  questioning 
look  was  in  the  eyes  of  the  sick  girl  as  she  entered. 


96  SPARING    TO    SPEN'H. 

The  good  woman  tried  to  appear  unconcerned ; 
but  was  not  able  to  hide  her  feelings. 

"  Oh,  aunt  Mary  !  Hasn't  he  come-!"  And  as 
she  made  the  eager  inquiry,  she  arose  from  her 
pillow  with  a  strength  born  of  mental  excitement. 

It  needed  no  lip-language  to  strike  her  hopes 
to  the  ground.  She  read  in  the  countenance  of 
aunt  Mary  that  the  waning  day  had  mocked  her 
fond  expectation,  and  sunk  back  with  a  sigh  upon 
her  pillow.  And  now,  to  keen  disappointment, 
was  added  a  sharper  pain.  Was  Mark,  indeed, 
so  indifferent  as  this  ?  Did  he  so  poorly  return  the 
sisterly  affection,  that  as  a  spring  of  water  in  her 
heart  was  ever  gushing  forth  and  flowing  towards 
him  ?  There  had  been  enough,  and  more  than 
enough,  in  the  conduct  of  Mark,  to  have  long  ere 
this  excited  similar  doubts  and  questions.  But, 
the  unselfish  love  of  Lucy  had  ever  been  fruitful 
in  assigning  reasons  for  the  brother's  apparent 
neglect.  Now,  even  love  itself  could  offer  no 
excuses. 

From  the  excitement  of  confident  hope,  the  sick 
girl  rapidly  sunk  into  the  same  low  state,  that  fol 
lowed  her  disappointment  on  the  previous  evening. 
Earnestly  did  Mrs.  Jones  seek,  by  trying  to  lift 
the  thoughts  of  Lucy  upward  into  the  perceptions 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  97 

of  things  heavenly  and  eternal,  to  prevent  this 
exhausting  re-action.  But  the  wings  of  her  spirit 
fluttered  only  for  a  brief  season  in  these  higher 
regions,  and  then  drooped  feebly. 

The  morning  that  succeeded  did  not  find  Lucy 
Pinkerton  as  bright  and  full  of  expectancy  as  on 
the  two  preceding  days.  She  did. not  mention 
the  name  of  her  brother,  although  it  was  very 
plain  to  her  auut  that  the  thought  of  him  was 
ever  present  to  her  mind.  Frequently  it  was  on 
the  lips  of  Mrs.  Jones  to  say — "  Mark  will  cer 
tainly  come  this  afternoon," — and  she  confidently 
expected  him — but  every  time  the  utterance  was 
about  being  made,  she  checked  herself.  He  might 
not  come,  and,  therefore,  it  would  be  wiser  not  to 
excite,  more  than  was  already  the  case,  the  mind 
of  Lucy.  If  he  failed  to  arrive,  the  disappointment 
would  be  keen  enough  as  it  was. 

And  so  the  hours  of  another  day  moved  stead 
ily  on,  until  evening  came  again.  The  sun  went 
down  behind  the  distant  mountain  ;  the  hush  of 
twilight  succeeded;  darkness  came  brooding  over 
the  earth — but  Lucy  and  aunt  Mary  were  alone. 
Silent  both  had  been  for  many  minutes.  Lucy  lay 
with  her  eyes  closed,  and,  as  the  dim  lamp-light 

fell  upon  her  face,  looked  as  if  she  were  sleeping 
5 


OS  SPARING    TO 

her  last  earthly  sleep — as  if  her  struggling  spirit 
had  freed  itself  from  mortal  entanglements,  and 
was  already  breathing  the  pure  air  of  the  inner 
world.  Aunt  Mary  was  near,  and  almost  bend 
ing  over  her.  The  lips  of  the  sick  girl  moved — 
her  eyes  unclosed — in  a  low  voice  she  mur 
mured  ; — 

"There  is  One  who  sticketh  closer  than  a 
brother." 

"Yes,  dear  child  !"  was  answered — "  One  whose 
love  for  us  exceeds  the  love  of  a  mother  for  her 
nursing  child.  He  never  leaves  us  nor  forsakes 
us.  Lean  on  Him,  dear  love ! — lean  heavily — His 
arm  is  around  you ;  He  will  be  your  all-sufficient 
strength  in  weakness." 

Lucy's  eyes  closed,  and  she  was  silent  for  a 
time  longer. 

"  Tell  Mark,"  said  she,  speaking  again,  "  that 
my  latest  thoughts  were  of  him.  Tell  him,  that 
I  have  prayed  for  him  daily,  that  he  might  be 
kept  free  from  evil.  If  I  could  only  look  upon 
his  face  and  hear  his  voice  before  I  die  !  But  I 
will  not  hope  for  that  now.  He  cannot  arrive  be 
fore  the  close  of  to-morrow,  and  ere  then,  aunt,  I 
shall  begone." 

From  that  time,  through  all  the  night  that  fol- 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  99 

lowed  the  dying  girl  gave  no  sign  of  external 
consciousness.  A  lonely  and  heart-stricken 
watcher,  Mrs.  Jones  remained  at  her  side  until 
morning  broke,  and  the  sun  looked  in  and  kissing 
the  white  lips  of  the  sleeper,  awoke  her.  She 
smiled  as  she  opened  her  eyes,  and  said  that  she 
had  been  dreaming  a  pleasant  dream. 

"  I  thought  I  was  dying,  and,  as  the  time  ap 
proached,  I  was  conscious  of  the  presence  of  two 
angels.  They  sat  near  my  head  conversing,  and 
they  talked  of  heaven,  of  its  beautiful  scenery,  its 
inhabitants  and  their  employments,  its  spiritual 
joys  and  celestial  beatitudes.  In  their  thoughts  I 
saw  the  images  of  wonderful  things,  to  describe 
which,  there  is  no  power  in  human  language.  As 
they  conversed  I  remained  in  a  state  of  elevation, and 
had  no  consciousness  but  of  heaven  and  life  eternal. 
And  thus  it  was  until  I  lost  myself,  as  it  were, 
in  a  sweet  slumber,  from  which  awakening,  I 
found  myself  in  a  chamber  so  much  like  this  one, 
that  it  appeared  the  very  same,  yet  all  had  a 
heightened  and  living  beauty.  I  was  lying,  it 
seemed,  upon  this  very  bed.  Beside  me,  now  in 
full  vision,  stood  the  two  angels,  and,  as  they  ex 
tended  their  hands,  they  said  to  me — '  Your  life 
on  earth  has  closed,  and  you  have  now  arisen  into 


100  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

the  world  of  spirits.  Come  with  us,  and  we  will 
show  you  our  beautiful  land  and  its  people  !'  I 
was  so  filled  with  a  glad  surprise  at  these  words, 
that  I  awoke.  Oh,  aunt ! — was  it  not  a  sweet 
dream  ?" 

"Yes,  love,  a  sweet  dream  and  a  true  dream," 
answered  Mrs.  Jones.  It  was  only  by  her  utmost 
efforts  that  she  retained  her  calmness.  "  Even  so 
will  be  your  tranquil  passage.  You  may  not  be 
conscious  of  angelic  attendants ;  yet  they  will  be 
with  you,  and,  even  as  in  your  dream,  keep 
your  thoughts  on  heavenly  life.  You  will  sleep 
tranquilly,  and  afterwards  be  welcomed  by 
angels." 

A  sob  choked  the  utterance  of  aunt  Mary,  and 
she  was  silent.  Ah !  How  could  she  speak 
thus,  and  not  feel  the  bitterness  of  her  approach 
ing  bereavement  ?  How  could  she  think  of  Lucy's 
death,  and  not,  at  the  same  time,  think  of  the 
sad,  lonely,  grieving  days  that  were  to  follow  ? 
She  did  think  of  them,  and  when  she  turned  from 
the  bedside  of  Lucy,  she  went  back  to  her  own 
room,  and  wept. 

It  was  now  too  evident  that  the  dying  girl 
had  but  few  hours  to  live.  The  physician  called 
as  usual,  but  was  grave  and  silent.  An  unim- 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  f  101 

portant  prescription  was  made,  and  then  he  re 
tired,  with  little  expectation  of  looking  again 
upon  the  living  face  of  his  patient.  As  the  day 
wore  on,  Lucy  gradually  sunk  lower  and  lower, 
while  her  mind,  for  the  most  part,  was  completely 
indrawn.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
she  aroused  up,  and  asked  the  hour.  On  receiv 
ing  an  answer,  there  was  a  slight  change  in  the 
expression  of  her  countenance.  From  that  time 
she  gradually  revived ;  and  though  she  said  no 
thing,  it  was  plain  that  her  mind  was  active. 

About  five  o'clock,  as  aunt  Mary  sat  by  the 
bedside  of  Lucy,  holding  her  hand,  and  looking 
sorrowfully  upon  her  death-stricken  face,  the 
latch  of  the  garden  gate  was  lifted,  and  the  heavy 
tread  of  a  man  was  heard  below. 

"  Mark !"  exclaimed  Lucy,  suddenly  opening 
her  eyes. 

"  No,  love,"  replied  aunt  Mary,  quickly,  for 
already  she  had  glanced  from  the  window — "  it  is 
the  postman." 

"  A  letter  for  Lucy,"  said  a  neighbor,  who  had 
been  staying  with  them  through  the  day,  and 
now  came  up.  She  retired,  as  Lucy  grasped  the 
missive — 

"  From  Mark  !     It  is  in  his  own  hand.     Read 


102  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

it  for  me,  aunt  Mary.    "What  does  he  say  ?"  Her 
utterance  was  confused  and  rapid. 
Mrs.  Jones  broke  the  seal,  and  read — 

"  MY  OWN  DEAR  SISTER — To-morrow  I  will  be 
with  you.  Oh !  how  your  letter  has  afflicted  me. 
From  the  moment  it  came  to  hand,  I  have  been 
straining  every  nerve  to  get  away.  I  was  cer 
tain  yesterday  that  I  should,  start  to-day;  but 
was  sadly  disappointed.  Now,  all  is  arranged, 
and  I  will  leave  in  the  stage  to-morrow.  I  never 
dreamed  that  your  health  was  failing  you  so  ra 
pidly.  Is  it  indeed  so  bad  ?  Were  you  not  in  a 
mood  of  despondency  at  the  time  of  writing  ?  I 
try  to  think  that  you  were.  I  write  hurriedly. 
To  morrow  you  will  see  me.  Good  by — keep  a 
brave  heart. 

"  Ever  yours,  MARK." 

The  eyes  of  Lucy  were  tightly  closed,  while 
aunt  Mary  read  this  letter.  On  looking  up,  the- 
latter  saw  a  change  in  her  countenance,  that 
caused  her  to  drop  the  paper  from  which  she  had 
been  reading. 

"Lucy,  dear  !  Lucy  !"  she  said,  tenderly,  yet  in 
a  troubled  voice,  as  she  drew  an  arm  beneath 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  103 

her  neck,  and  pressed  her  white  face  against  her 
bosom.  "  Lucy,  dear.  What  ails  you  ?" 

The  lips  of  the  dying  girl  moved.  Aunt  Mary 
bent  down  her  ear. 

"  Too  late  !  Too  late  !"  was  the  low  whisper 
that  scarcely  stirred  the  air. 

Another  day  had  nearly  waned.  As  promised, 
Mark  Pinkerton  left  Baltimore  on  that  morning, 
and  was  now  within  a  few  miles  of  the  village  in 
which  his  earlier  days  had  passed.  Soon,  every 
object  that  met  his  eyes  wore  a  familiar  aspect. 
There  was  the  fine  old  woods  in  which  he  had 
gathered  nuts ;  the  fields  over  which  he  had  so 
often  roamed  with  Lucy  when  both  were  happy 
children ;  the  silver  brook,  running  as  clear  and 
merrily  as  when  they  sat  upon  its  grassy  bank 
with  their  white  feet  plashing  in  its  crystal 
waters.  And  there  was  the  lazy  mill  race  into 
which  Lucy  had  fallen,  and  from  which  ho  had 
dragged  her  forth  with  a  boyish  heroism, — that 
made  him,  for  the  time,  an  object  of  admiration 
to  the  whole  village.  How  little  of  change  was 
written  on  things  around  him,  though  years  had 
passed  since  the  thoughtless,  innocent  days  of 
childhood.  Everything  he  looked  upon  had 
power  to  awaken  former  memories,  to  stir  bis 


104  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

heart  with  tender  emotions,  and  to  reprove  him 
for  bis  selfish  neglect  of  an  only  sister. 

"  Dear  Lucy !"  he  murmured,  as  a  flood  of  old 
feelings  and  old  recollections  rushed  back  upon 
him ;  "  how  could  I  have  grown  §o  indifferent  ? 
How  could  I  have  thought  so  much  of  self  and 
so  little  of  you  ?  I  am  angry  with  myself.  I  arn 
more  than  half  ashamed  to  look  into  your  face. 
But,  dear  heart ;  you  were  always  so  forgiving  and 
so  forgetful.  I  will  kiss  away  the  tears  my 
wrong  to  you  have  occasioned,  and  never  again 
shall  word  or  act  of  mine  cause  them  to  brighten 
on  your  cheeks.  Hereafter,  I  will  deny  myself 
for  your  sake.  I  will  practice  Lofton's  economic 
virtues — if  I  can." 

The  last  part  of  the  sentence  was  uttered 
after  a  slight  pause,  and  left  some  strong  impres 
sions  of  doubt  on  Pinkerton's  mind  as  to  his 
ability  to  exercise  the  promised  self-denial. 

Soon  the  stage  came  rumbling  into  the  village. 
The  moment  it  paused  at  the  usual  stopping 
place,  the  young  man,  who  was  unencumbered 
with  baggage  beyond  a  light  valise,  sprung  from 
the  old  vehicle,  and  hurried  off"  in  the  direction  of 
Mrs.  Jones'  cottage.  In  a  few  minutes  he  was 
there.  Doors  and  windows  were  all  closed,  and 


I 

SPARING   TO    SPEND.  105 

as  he  passed  quickly  along  the  narrow  garden 
path,  he  was  suddenly  oppressed  with  a  strange 
feeling ;  and  now,  for  the  first  time,  came  the 
thought  that  Lucy  might  be  dead !  A  chilling 
sensation  ran  along  every  nerve.  Momentarily 
his  heart  ceased  to  beat,  while  his  breath  was 
suspended.  Then,  as  he  laid  his  hand  on  the 
door,  his  heart  bounded  on  again,  and  his  chest 
heaved  in  constricted  respiration.  He  entered. 
The  room  was  shrouded  in  white  !  He  was  alone 
with  his  sister.  But  the  silver  cord  was  loosed, 
and  the  golden  bowl  broken.  "With  the  dawning 
of  day  her  spirit  had  awakened  into  eternal  life  ! 


CHAPTER   IX. 


A  SADDER,  perhaps,  in  some  respects,  a  wiser 
man,  Mark  Pinkerton  returned  to  the  city,  after 
staying  in  his  native  village  until  the  clods  of 
the  valley  were  laid  upon  the  mortal  remains  of 
his  sister.  Never,  in  all  his  after  years,  did  his 
thoughts  go  back  to  this  period  of  life,  without  a 
feeling  of  painful  self-reproach,  made  sharper  by 
a  few  plainly  spoken  words  from  the  lips  of  aunt 
Mary  Jones,  that  could  not  be  forgotten,  and 
were  never  forgiven,  and  which,  moreover,  were 
made  the  self-justifying  excuse  for  his  disregard 
of  Lucy's  dying  injunction. 

Return  we  ,  now,  to  Archibald  Lofton.  On  the 
morning  after  the  interview  with  Ellen  Birch, 
which  has  already  been  described,  the  young 


TO    SPEND.  1 

man  went  to  the  store  in  which  he  was  employed 
in  a  more  sobered  and  thoughtful  mood  than 
usual.  The  question,  as  to  whether  he  would  be 
justified,  or  not,  in  marrying  under  present  cir 
cumstances,  was  still  debated,  and  still  as  far 
from  being  decided  at  first. 

"  How  is  Ellen  getting  ?"  enquired  one  of  his 
employers — the  same  who  had  previously  shown 
so  kind  an  interest  in  the  young  girl — pausing  at 
the  desk  where  Lofton  was  writing. 

"  She's  a  great  deal  better,  I  thank  you,"  was 
answered. 

"  I'm  much  pleased  to  hear  it." 

The  two  were  silent  for  a  few  moments. 

"  How  much  salary  are  we  paying  you  now  ?" 
enquired  the  merchant. 

"  Four  hundred  dollars,"  said  Lofton. 

"  Four  hundred."  The  merchant  stood  musing 
for  some  time.  "  Four  hundred,"  he  repeated,  as 
if  speaking  to  himself.  "  I  think  you're  worth 
more  than  that,  Archibald,"  he  added,  in  a  cheer 
ful  voice.  "  Suppose  we  say  six  hundred?" 

"  Oh,  sir !"  Lofton  was  taken  by  surprise, 
"  If  you  could  increase  my  salary  to  that  sum 
you  would  make  me  one  of  the  happiest  of  men  1" 

"Would  I,  indeed  !"    The   merchant  smiled. 


108  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

He  understood  what  was  in  the  thought  of  his 
clerk.  Lofton  looked  slightly  confused,  and  let 
his  eyes  fall  to  the  ground. 

"  Six  hundred  it  is,"  said  the  former.  "  "We 
will  let  the  increased  salary  date  from  the  com 
mencement  of  the  current  quarter.  And  may 
you  be  as  happy,  my  young  friend,  as  your  heart 
can  wish." 

The  merchant  turned  away,  and  Lofton  bent 
low  over  his  desk,  not,  for  the  time  being,  to'  re 
sume  his  duties,  but  to  think  over  the  new  and 
brighter  aspect  which  his  aft'airs  had  so  suddenly 
assumed. 

How  slowly  the  hours  went  by !  It  seemed  to 
Lofton  as  if  the  day  would  never  come  to  an  end. 
At  last,  he  was  by  the  side  of  Ellen,  clasping  her 
hand  tightly  in  his,  and  telling  her  of  his  good 
fortune.  Before  they  parted,  that  evening,  an 
early  day  was  fixed  for  their  marriage,  so  early 
that  only  time  for  needful  preparation  on  the  part 
of  Ellen  remained.  If  her  health  had  been  good, 
Lofton  would  have  deemed  it  wiser  to  defer  so 
important  a  step  for  at  least  a  year,  or  until  he 
could  have  saved  enough  to  buy  furniture  for  a 
small  house,  that  they  might,  in  beginning  the 
world,  have  a  home  of  their  own.  But  it  was 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  109 

otherwise.     To  leave  her,  any  longer,  self-depen 
dent,  would  be  risking  too  much. 

So  it  was  arranged,  as  the  most  prudent  course 
for  the  young  couple,  to  take  a  room  which  Mrs. 
"Wilson  offered  them  in  her  house,  and  to  board 
with  her  at  the  moderate  weekly  rate  of  six  dol 
lars—just  one  half  of  Lofton's  income.  The  ad 
dition  of  fifty  dollars  in  the  current  quarter,  to 
the  young  man's  salary,  enabled  him  to  raise  hia 
deposit  in  the  Savings'  Fund  to  the  previous 
amount — two  hundred  dollars,  while  the  balance 
of  the  quarter's  income — one  hundred  dollars — 
procured  him  a  wedding-suit,  and  a  few  articles 
of  chamber  furniture  to  give  a  somewhat  neater 
and  more  comfortable  .appearance  to  the  apart 
ment  Mrs.  Wilson  had  assigned  them. 

And  so  this  young  couple  began  their  new  life. 
No  brilliant  wedding  had  they ;  none,  with  gay 
parties,  welcomed  them  into  the  matrimonial 
world.  A  few  friends  gathered,  one  quiet  even 
ing,  in  Mrs.  Wilson's  small  parlor,  and  there  the 
impressive  words  were  said,  that  sealed  their 
life-long  contract.  Among  those  present  was 
young  Pinkerton.  He  was,  in  fact,  groomsman 
on  the  occasion.  Lofton's  refusal  to  lend  him 
money,  although  it  fretted  him  at  the  time,  did 


110  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

not  estrange  him  from  one  whose  many  good 
qualities  he  well  knew,  and  whose  sterling  in 
tegrity  of  character  he  could  not  but  admire. 
Since  the  death  of  his  sister,  Pinkerton  had  in 
some  respects  changed,  though  he  was  scarcely 
more  prudent  than  before  in  matters  of  personal 
expenditure.  For  a  while,  he  was  sober-minded ; 
but  this  external  mark  of  the  bereavement  he  had 
suffered  was  fast  wearing  off. 

Not  until  the  wedding  night  had  Lofton's  friend 
been  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  "Wilson.  Its  small  size, 
out  of  the  way  location,  and  poverty  of  furniture, 
were  noticed ;  and  he  could  not  but  wonder  at 
Lofton's  choice  of  such  a  place  as  the  home  of  his 
bride.  On  meeting  him  next  day,  he  said — 

"In  the  name  of  wonder,  Archie,  how  came  you 
to  choose  that  little  old  salt-box  as  a  cage  for  your 
pretty  bride  ?" 

"She  will  be  as  happy  there  as  in  a  palace," 
answered  Lofton. 

"Oh,  nonsense!  Don't  talk  to  me  after  that 
fashion.  I  know  too  much  of  human  nature.  And 
do  you  really  mean  to  shut  her  up  there  with  that 
old  woman  ?  She'll  die  of  melancholy." 

"  Not  she,"  was  smilingly  answered.  "  Oh  no. 
She'll  sing  as  gaily  in  that  cage,  o&  you  are 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  Ill 

pleased  to  call  it,  as  if  the  wires  were  of  silver  or 
gold.  As  for  the  old  woman  of  whom  you  speak 
half-indifferently,  no  mother  could  have  shown  a 
wiser  love  for  a  child  than  she  has  shown  for 
Ellen.  They  have  lived  happily  together  for 
months,  and,  if  need  be,  will  live  as  happily  to 
gether  for  years." 

"  But,  why  did  you  go  away  out  there,  Archie  ? 
Why  didn't  you  bring  your  wife  to  your  old  home, 
if  not  prepared  for  housekeeping  ?  That  is  near 
the  centre  of  the  city,  and  there  your  wife  would 
have  some  chance  of  making  the  acquaintance  of 
people  in  good  standing.  She'll  see  nobody 
where  she  is.  You'll  be  lost,  man,  both  of  you." 

"  No  danger  of  our  being  lost,  Mark,"  said 
Lofton,  smiling  again.  "  We'll  wait  patiently ; 
and,  if  there  is  buoyancy  in  us,  will  come  to  the 
surface  in  good  time.  With  my  present  income, 
I  could  not  afford  to  pay  nine  dollars  a  week  for . 
boarding,  and  that  is  the  lowest  for  which  a  good 
room  can  be  obtained  at  Mrs.  Elder's." 

"  And  what  are  you  going  to  pay  Mrs.  Wilson 
for  her  elegant  accommodations  ?" 

"  Six  dollars." 

"  Well,  that  is  a  difference  of  only  three  dollars 


112  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

a  week,"  said  Pinkerton.  "  And  I'm  sure  Mrs. 
Elder's  room  is  worth  twelve  in  comparison." 

"  Only  three  dollars  a  week  ?  And  how  much 
will  that  amount  to  in  a  year,  Mark  ?" 

"  About  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars." 

"  Worth  saving,  in  my  opinion." 

"  Not  at  the  sacrifice  you  are  making,"  said 
Pinkerton. 

"I'm  making  no  sacrifice,"  was  calmly  an 
swered. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  not,"  said  the  other,  a  little 
impatiently.  "  You  can  live  any  where — in  a 
barn,  for  that  matter,  if  money  is  to  be  saved 
thereby.  But  you  must  remember,  Archie,  that 
a  young  wife  may  have  different  views  and  feel 
ings  altogether." 

"  I  am  happy  to  say,"  replied  Lofton,  "  that  my 
young  wife  has  no  views  nor  feelings  on  this  sub 
ject  that  differ  from  my  own.  She  knows  the 
extent  of  my  resources,  to  the  uttermost  farthing, 
and  she  knew  them  before  we  were  married.  All 
this  was  talked  over  and  definitely  settled  in  ad 
vance.  The  manner  in  which  we  have  com 
menced  life  is  in  every  way  accordant  with  pre 
vious  arrangements." 

"  Upon  my  word  !    A  regular  business  transac- 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  113 

tion !  You  exhibited  your  bank  account,  and 
she  emptied  her  purse  into  her  lap,  that  you  might 
see  how  many  shillings  it  contained.  The  ruling 
passion  !  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  have 
married  for  love !" 

Lofton  smiled  as  he  answered — 

"  We  are  neither  of  us  rich.  I  am  a  humble 
clerk,  on  a  very  moderate  salary,  and  she  was  only 
a  poor  seamstress.  In  contemplating  marriage, 
we  were  sensible  enough  to  take  eating,  drinking, 
raiment,  and  such  like  matters  into  consideration, 
and  had  forethought  enough  to  settle  a  range  of 
expenditure  in  the  beginning  that  would  leave  a 
little  margin.  We  shall  probably  increase  our 
deposits  in  the  Savings'  Fund  at  least  three  dollars 
a  week  ;  or,  at  the  rate  of  a  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  a  year.  And  this  we  both  think  better 
than  paying  that  sum  extra  to  our  present  ex 
penses,  in  order  to  get  into  such  <  good  society  ' 
as  Mrs.  Elder's  boarding-house  offers." 

"  And  you  really  talked  all  this  over  before 
your  marriage  ?"  said  Pinkerton,  with  more  than 
a  mere  affectation  of  surprise. 

•"  We  certainly  did ;  and  when  ypu  contemplate 
marriage,  let  me  advise  you  and  your  intended  to 
imitate  so  good  an  example.  It  may  save  you 


114  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

future  disappointments,  embarrassments,  and 
perhaps  ruin." 

"  I  would  hardly  like  to  throw  such  a  wet 
blanket  over  the  girlish  fancies  of  my  lady-love;" 
replied  Pinkerton,  with  a  toss  of  the  head.  "  In 
fact,  I  shall  not  attempt  matrimony  until  some 
brighter  prospects  open  before  me.  Not,  in  fact, 
until  I  am  in  business  for  myself,  as  I  hope  soon 
to  be.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  maintaining  a 
respectable  establishment  on  a  clerk's  salary,  and 
none  other  I  shall  ever  regard  as  good  enough  for 
the  woman  who  consents  to  become  Mrs.  Pinker- 
ton  !  "When  I  take  a  wife,  you  may  be  sure  of 
one  thing — I  will  never  hide  her  away  in  a  little 
salt-box,  as  if  I  were  ashamed  of  my  bargain." 

For  a  moment  there  was  a  flush  on  the  counte 
nance  of  Lofton.  But  his  brow  quickly  grew 
clear  again.  He  answered — 

"  We  did  not  marry  in  order  to  exhibit  our 
selves  before  the  world.  Such  a  thing  as  making 
a  sensation,  never  entered  our  thoughts.  We 
married,  because  we  loved  each  other,  and  be 
cause  the  relation  would  bring  a  nearer  and  mu 
tual  dependence,  from  which  would  arise  the 
purest  happiness.  We  married  on  our  own  ac 
count.  We  regard  ourselves  as  private  citizens ; 


SPAUIXU  TO  SPEXII.  115 

not  actors  on  a  social  stage.  For  such  things  we 
have  no  taste,  and  could  not,  therefore,  derive 
any  pleasure  therefrom.  Depend  upon  it,  Mark, 
we  shall  find  a  higher  satisfaction  in  acting,  as 
we  think,  wisely  and  prudently,  than  you  will 
ever  find  in  flaunting  before  the  world,  at  a  ruin 
ous  cost,  for  which  more  critical  fault-finding 
than  praise  will  be  awarded.  Those  who  seek  to 
maintain  appearances  beyond  their  ability, 
usually  do  it  at  a  heavy  sacrifice.  It  not  only 
costs  money,  but  character." 

"  How  character,  Archie  ?" 

"  Society- is  exceedingly  critical,  and  not  over 
charitable." 

"Well?" 

"  A  couple  who,  at  the  start  in  life,  maintain, 
for  the  mere  sake  of  appearances,  a  style  of  liv 
ing  beyond  their  real  ability  to  support,  are 
noted  and  censured.  Many  a  young  man's  pros 
pects  have  been  ruined  by  the  impression  such 
want  of  common  prudence  has  made.  I  have 
heard  people  talk,  and  so  have  you :  in  fact,  have 
talked  myself,  and  so  have  you.  It  is  easy  to 
.condemn  such  things.  The  part  of  true  wisdom 
is  to  avoid  the  errors  we  see  in  those  around  us." 

"  You're  a  philosopher.  Archie,"  was  Pinker 


116  SPAKIJNG    TO    SPEND. 

ton's  reply,  uttered  in  mock  gravity.  "  But  I 
am  an  every-day  man  of  the  world.  I  cannot 
profit  by  your  wise  saws  and  leaden  wisdom ; 
which  you  must  excuse  me  for  saying,  have  a 
rather  musty  savor — are  rather  Poor  Richardish, 
so  to  speak." 

"  It  would  be  better  for  some  people,  you  among 
the  number,  Mark,"  said  Lofton,  "  if  they  were 
to  gather  a  little  musty  wisdom  from  Poor  Rich 
ard.  It  might  save  them  from  disappointment, 
ruin,  and  heart-ache  in  the  future." 

"  So  I  have  heard  you  say  before.  Well, 
twenty  years  hence,  we  will  compare  notes.  I 
cannot  but  smile  as  I  think  of  the  comparison." 

"  I  hope  neither  of  us  will  be  made  sadder 
thereby,"  returned  Lofton. 

"  I  hope  not.  But,  as  I  intimated  a  little 
while  ago,  Archie,  I've  serious  thoughts  of  enter 
ing  into  business." 

"  Where's  your  capital  ?  How  much  have  you 
saved  ?" 

"  Capital !  Savings !  I've  half  a  mind  to  get 
downright  angry  with  you.  Capital  saved  from 
six  hundred  a  year !  Did  you  imagine  I  thought 
of  opening  a  Jew's  shop  in  Second  street '?" 

"  0  no.     But,  when  a  man  talks  of  going  into 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  117 

business,  it  is  but  natural  to  enquire  how  much 
capital  will  be  at  his  command." 

"  If  I  go  into  business,  I  will  have  capital  at 
command.  You  may  be  sure  of  that,"  said 
Pinkerton. 

"  You  will  form  a  co-partnership  ?" 

"  Exactly.  I've  had  two  or  three  conversa 
tions  with  a  gentleman  who  has  about  ten  thou 
sand  dollars.  He  is  anxious  to  get  into  busi 
ness  ;  and  between  you  and  I,  thinks  the  ability 
of  your  humble  servant  ranks  A  No.  1.  Of 
course  I  encourage  that  opinion,  as  in  duty 
bound." 

"  Who  is  the  person  to  whom  you  refer  ?" 

"  I  don't  think  you  know  him.  His  name  is 
Ackland." 

"  A  resident  of  Baltimore?" 

"  For  the  past  two  years." 

"  Does  he  know  anything  of  business  ?" 

"  He's  a  first  rate  book-keeper.  Beyond  that, 
his  capital  is  the  best  part  of  him.  And  I'd  just 
as  lief  it  would  be  so.  Whenever  I  enter  into  bu 
siness,  I  want  a  controlling  influence.  I'  11  find  the 
customers,  and  see  that  goods  are  sold." 

"It  is  well  for  a  rnuu  to  have  a  good  conceit  of 


118  SPARING    TO    BPEND. 

himself,"  Lofton  said,  with  the  slightest  percepti 
ble  sarcasm  in  his  tones. 

"I  wouldn't  give  sixpence  for  a  person  who  had 
no  conceit  of  himself,"  was  very  promptly  answer 
ed.  "  If  a  man  doesn't  know  what  is  in  him,  the 
possession  of  ability  will  not  avail  mucn  towards 
his  advancement  in  life.  I  have  no  faith  in  your 
slumbering  giants." 

"Ten  thousand  dollars  is  the  amount  of  cash 
capital  your  friend  can  bring  into  the  business  ?" 
said  .Lofton. 

"  It  is  :  and,  upon  that  as  a  basis,  almost  any 
amount  of  business  can  be  done." 

"  How  much  ?" 

"  A  hundred  thousand,  if  you  please." 

Lofton  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  bade  his 
friend  good  morning. 

"I've  really  frightened  him,  said  Pinkerton, 
speaking  to  himself.  "Poor,  plodding,  penny- 
wise  Lofton  !  You'll  never  fill  a  very  large  space 
in  the  world's  observation.  Ah,  well !  All  men 
have  their  uses.  There  must  be  the  foundation 
stones  in  a  building,  as  well  as  the  heaven- 
piercing  spires.  Those  who  are  content  to  nestle 
close  to  mother  earth  may  do  so.  But  I  am  of 
another  genius." 


CHAPTER     X 


"  AND  what  of  Angela  Raynor,  the  beautiful 
creature  who  had  so  captivated  the  fancy  of  Mark 
Pinkerton  ?"  we  hear  it  asked.  "How  is  their  little 
love  matter  progressing  ?  Is.  Mark  in  a  fair  way 
to  secure  the  young  lady 's  hand  and  the  father's 
money  ?" 

There  is  a  little  story  connected  with  that  affair 
reader,  and  you  shall  hear  it.  We  will  go  back 
a  few  months.  It  was  a  pleasant  night  in  spring, 
and  Miss  Raynor,  who  had  been  disappointed 
about  going  to  the  opera,  sat  alone,  reading,  or 
trying  to  read. 

"  Is  your  mother  at  home,  Miss  Angela  ?'' 

The  young  lady  looked  up,  and  Bridget,  the 


120  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

washerwoman — not  yet  forgotten  by  the  reader 
— stood  just  within  the  entrance  of  the  room. 

"  She  went  out  after  tea,"  replied  Angela.  "  Is 
there  anything  that  I  can  do  for  you  ?" 

"I  don't  know  as  there  is,"  returned  Bridget, 
sighing  as  she  spoke.  "  I  wanted  jest  to  say  a 
word  till  ye'r  mother.  But,  I  can  come  round 
again  in  the  morning." 

"  You  want  some  money,  I  suppose,"  said 
Angela,  in  a  kind,  encouraging  way.  "  Isn't  that 
it?" 

"  It's  you  that  says  it,  Miss,"  returned  the 
Irish  woman.  "  Faith !  An'  the  like  o'  me  are  al 
ways  in  want  of  money." 

"  How  much  is  coming  to  you,  Bridget  ?" 

"  I'm  only  owed  for  two  weeks'  washing;  and 
I'm  ashamed  to  ask  for  my  money  so  soon.  If 
some  of  the  gay  young  chaps  that  go  dandying 
about  in  Spanish  mantles  and  whisking  their  little 
sticks,  as  if  they  were  great  lords  and  jintlemen, 
would  pay  me  up,  I'd  have  no  call  to  come 
here  oftener  than  once  a  month." 

The  eyes  of  Angela  Eaynor  brightened  with 
interest  at  this  remark  of  the  washerwoman. 

"  It  isn't  possible,"  said  she,  "  that  gay  young 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  121 

men,  who  sport  their  Spanish  mantles,  are  in 
debt  to  you  for  washing  their  clothes !" 
*  "  'Deed  then  and  it  is  possible,  my  young  lady. 
I  could  give  you  the  names  of  two  or  three,  if  it 
was  just  proper  and  right,  who've  been  owing  me 
for  weeks  and  weeks,  and  it's  like  drawing  an 
eye-tooth  to  get  a  dollar  out  of  them." 

"  That  isn't  right,"  said  Angela. 

"  Eight,  indeed  !  It's  wrong,  downright  and 
downright ;  and  my  blood  fairly  boils  over  some 
times,  when  I  think  of  it.  I  was  on  my  way  to 
the  boarding  house  of  one  of  these  high-goers  last 
evening,  intending  to  catch  him,  if  possible, 
before  he  went  out,  when  who  should  I  see,  as  I 
was  passing  the  theatre  in  Holliday  street,  but 
my  fine  gentleman  walking  up  the  steps,  as  grand 
as  may  be  !  I  tell  you,  Miss,  but  I  was  strongly 
tempted  to  grip  tight  hold  of  him  and  demand  my 
money." 

"  Why  didn't  you  do  it — I  wish  you  had,"  said 
Miss  Raynor,  carried  away  by  a  quick  feeling  of 
indignation  at  the  injustice  to  which  the  poor 
woman  had  been  subjected. 

"  It  wouldn't  have  been  right,  Miss." 

"  I  don't  know   about   that.      It  would  have 
taught  him  a  good  lesson,"  replied  Angela. 
6 


122  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"It  would  have  disgraced  him,  Miss.  And  it's 
bad  to  disgrace  a  young  man.  He's  clever  enough, 
and  kind  enough,  and  I  believe  never  refused  to 
pay  me  when  he  had  anything  in  his  pocket.  But 
he  wastes  his  money  in  torn-fooleries — on  canes 
and  gewgaws,  and  then  has  nothing  for  his  poor 
washerwoman  when  she  calls.  It's  too  bad, 
though." 

"I  should  think  it  was.  And  so,  while  in  debt 
to  you,  he  indulges  himself  in  the  opera." 

"He  jist  does  that  same,  Miss." 

"A  nice  young  man  truly  !  And  pray,  Bridget, 
what  is  his  name  ?  Do  I  know  him  ?" 

"  "Well,  as  to  that,  Miss  Angela,  all  I  can  say 
is,  that  I  once  saw  him  attending  ye  home  from 
church." 

"  Me  ! 

"  Sure  and  it  was  so,  if  I  am  to  believe  me 
eyes." 

"Why  Bridget !  Of  whom  are  you  speaking  ?" 
A  warm  flush  covered  the  young  lady's  face. 

"  I  rather  think  I'd  better  call  no  names,"  re 
plied  the  cautious  Irish  woman.  "  The  least  said 
the  soonest  mended,  you  know." 

"  A  young  gentleman,   who   wore   a   Spanish 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  123 

mantle  last  winter  ?"  Angela  looked  Bridget  now 
steadily  in  the  countenance. 

"  I've  said  he  wore  one.  But  they're  very  com 
mon,  you  know." 

"  Dark  hair  and  eyes,  and  a  fresh  complexion." 

"  I  suppose  so." 

"  Tall  and  slender." 

"  If  ye'll  have  it  so,  Miss  Angela,." 

"  A  young  clerk  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  And  his  name  is  Pinkerton  ?" 

"  Now,  Miss  Angela,  I  never  said  that.  It  was 
you,  for  all  the  world." 

"  Come,  Bridget,"  said  the  young  lady,  in  sox 
earnest  a  voice,  that  she  betrayed  to  the  quick 
witted  Irish  woman  the  interest  she  felt  in  the 
young  man.  "  I  want  you  to  say  yes  or  no  to  my 
questions.  Is  the  young  man  of  whom  you  are 
speaking  named  Pinkerton  ?" 

"  It  is,  Miss,  and  I'm  sorry  to  say  it.  But  I'm 
sure  he's  not  quite  so  bad  as  my  words  might 
seem  to  make  him  out." 

"  How  much  does  he  owe  you  ?" 

"  Six  dollars,  just  lacking  a  quarter." 

"  And  you've  asked  him  for  it  ?" 

"  Troth  I  have  that  same,  and  more  nor  once." 


124  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

Angela  sat  musing  for  some  time.  Then  recol 
lecting  herself,  she  said — 

"  Mother  owes  you  for  two  weeks  ?" 

"  Yes,  Miss." 

"  At  how  much  a  week  ?" 

"  A  dollar  and  a  quarter." 

The  young  lady  drew  a  purse  from  her  pocket, 
and  counting  qut  the  money,  handed  it  to  Bridget, 
who,  after  overwhelming  her  with  thanks,  and 
begging  that  she  would  forget  all  about  what  she 
had  said  of  Mr.  Pinkerton,  took  her  departure. 

But,  this  business  of  forgetting  is  never  a  very 
easy  matter.  As  for  Angela,  she  did  not  even  try 
the  experiment.  Committed,  though  her  feelings 
were,  in  favor  of  the  young  man,  love  had  not 
progressed  to  a  state  of  blindness.  For  a  short 
time,  all  the  elements  of  her  nature  were  in  agi 
tation  ;  then  her  heart  grew  calm  and  her  mind 
clear.  She  thought  of  Pinkerton  still — not  to  love, 
but  to  despise  him. 

On  the  Sunday  following,  Mark  Pinkerton,  who 
had  become  a  very  regular  church-goer,  was  early 
in  his  accustomed  seat  at  St.  Paul's.  The  house 
was  pretty  well  filled  before  his  charmer  made 
her  appearance.  How  suddenly  his  heart  quick 
ened  its  motion  as  she  brushed  past  the  end  of  the 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  125 

pew  in  which  he  was  seated,  and  took  her  place 
at  a  convenient  angle  beyond  !  The  usual  adjust 
ment  of  dress  over,  Mark  waited  for  the  stealthy 
glance,  which,  for  weeks,  had  visited  him  on  these 
occasions.  But,  strange  enough,  Angela  did  not 
in  the  slightest  manner  indicate  her  consciousness 
of  the  young  man's  proximity  Nor  once  during 
the  service  of  the  morning,  did  she  permit  him  so 
much  as  to  get  even  a  glimpse  of  her  face. 

All  this,  to  Pinkerton,  was  very  strange  and 
very  unaccountable.  Instead  of  enjoying  the 
music,  or  profiting  by  the  services,  he  spent  the 
whole  time  that  he  remained  in  church  in  boot 
less  speculations  as  to  the  meaning  of  Angela's 
unusual  conduct.  Never  before  had  the  good  Dr. 
Wyatt  seemed  so  tedious.  When,  at  last,  the 
closing  act  of  worship  was  over,  Pinkerton  stepped 
into  the  aisle,  and  lingered,  as  he  had  been  wont 
to  do,  in  the  expectation  of  having  Angela  pass  to 
his  side  on  her  way  to  the  door.  But  he  lingered 
in  vain.  The  onward  moving  crowd  in  which  he 
was  involved  gently  bore  him  toward  the  vesti 
bule  of  the  church ;  and  though  he  glanced  back 
continually,  his  eyes  were  not  gladdened  by  a 
vision  of  his  beautiful  Angela.  In  the  vestibule, 
at  last,  he  made  a  pause,  and  -there  helped  to 


126  SPARING    TO' SPEND. 

make  up  one  of  the  little  eddies  of  expectant  young 
beaux,  usually  to  be  found  at  church  doors  while 
the  congregation  is  passing  forth.  Here  he  waited 
for  several  minutes.  At  last  his  time  came.  Miss 
Raynor,  leaning  on  her  father's  arm,  appeared. 
The  hand  of  Pinkerton  went  instantly  to  his 
beaver. — She  did  not  notice  the  act  of  courtesy. 
He  moved  a  step  or  two  in  advance  of  her. — At 
the  very  instant  her  eyes  were  attracted  to  some 
thing  beyond.  A  moment  longer,  and  she  was 
upon  the  pavement,  while  he  shrunk  back  sur 
prised,  mortified  and  alarmed.  He  had  felt  certain 
of  his  conquest.  Already,  in  imagination,  his  hand 
had  toyed  with  the  gold  in  her  father's  coffers; 
already  he  had  seen  himself  bearing  off  in  triumph 
the  beautiful  heiress,  while  a  crowd  of  disap 
pointed  suitors  envied  him  his  prize.  And  had 
all  this  been  a  cheating  dream  !  No  wonder  he 
was  alarmed  as  well  as-  mortified. 

How  far  from  Pinkerton's  thoughts  was  the 
real  cause  of  this  sudden  change  in  the  conduct  of 
the  young  lady  !  He  imagined  a  hundred  reasons, 
but  never  dreamed  of  the  true  one. 

And  now  what  was  to  be  done  !  Eesign  the 
lady  on  this  first  indication  of  a  change  in  her 
feelings  ?  Oh,  no !  Mark  Pinkerton  was  not  the 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  127 

man  to  yield  so  rich  a  prize  without  at  least  a 
struggle  to  retain  it.  In  varied  plans  and  specu 
lation  the  day  was  passed.  Evening  came,  and 
he  debated  the  propriety  of  calling  on  MissN 
Eaynor.  But,  after  considering  the  pros  and 
cons,  finally  concluded  not  to  risk  a  direct  and 
definitive  rebuff. 

Monday  found  Pinkerton  with  some  new  views. 
Self-esteem  had  suggested  that  Angela  was  only 
in  a  coquettish  mood.  That  she  wished  to  teaze 
him  a  little,  so  as  to  bring  out  the  true  character 
of  his  regard  for  her.  To  think  this,  was  to  be 
lieve  it ;  and  to  believe  it,  was  at  once  to  deter 
mine  his  course  of  action.  Mrs.  Wood  sung  in 
opera  that  night.  Miss  Raynor,  who  was  pas 
sionately  fond  of  music,  would  no  doubt  be  there. 
He  resolved  to  attend  also,  and  by  a  well  managed 
indifference  excite  her  alarm.  Accordingly,  he 
occupied  a  place  in  one  of  the  boxes,  not  very  far 
from  where  the  young  lady  was  seated  with  her 
father.  During  the  whole  of  the  first  act,  he  did 
not  once  turn  his  eyes  towards  Angela;  but  af 
fected  to  be  entirely  absorbed  in  the  music  and 
the  performance.  Before  the  second  was  half 
through,  an  occasional  stealthy  glance  towards  a 
certain  part  of  the  house,  betrayed  his  anxiety  to 


128  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

know  how  far  this  well-acted  indifference  was 
affecting  the  young  lady  for  whose  special  benefit 
it  was  assumed.  The  result  was  neither  flattering 
nor  satisfactory.  Miss  Raynor  not  only  seemed 
altogether  unconscious  of  his  presence,  but  was 
in  her  usual  good  spirits.  Her  exquisite  en 
joyment  of  the  music  and  acting  was  not  to  be 
mistaken. 

Mark  Pinkerton  was  still  more  puzzled.  During 
the  performance  of  the  third  act,  he  made  sundry 
little  efforts  to  attract  Angela's  attention.  But 
_  it  was  all  in  vain.  To  all  external  appearances, 
she  seemed  not  to  be  aware  that  he  was  in  the 
house. 

"  What  can  it  mean  ?"  These  were  the  young- 
man's  oft-repeated  words,  as  he  went  thought 
fully  homeward  that  night.  What  have  I  done 
to  her  ?  Who  can  have  injured  me  in  her  good 
opinion  ?  • 

On  the  next  night  he  attended  the  opera  again 
— it  was  the  last  of  Mrs.  Wood's  engagement. 
Miss  Raynor  was  there,  and  sat  in  the  box  ad 
joining  the  one  occupied  by  Pinkerton.  Once 
their  eyes  met,  and  the  young  man  bowed  and 
smiled.  He  received  a  slight  nod  in  return,  and 
a  look  as  cold  as  an  icicle  ;  nor  were  the  eyes  of 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  129 

Miss  Eaynor  again  turned  towards  him  during 
the  whole  evening. 

"  I'll  call  and  see  her,"  said  ho,  desperately. 
"  There's  something  wrong.  Some  jealous  rival 
has  slandered  me." 

He  did  call  on  the  very  next  evening.  On  send 
ing  up  his  name,  the  servant  returned  with  word 
that  Miss  Eaynor  was  slightly  indisposed,  and 
asked  to  be  excused. 

"Worse  and  worse.  What  could  it  mean!  On 
the  next  Sunday,  Pinkerton  occupied  his  usual 
place  in  church,  and  so  did  Angela  Eaynor.  At 
the  close  of  the  services,  he  managed,  in  passing 
forth  to  the  street,  to  get  by  her  side. 

"  Shall  I  have  the  pleasure,  Miss " 

"  Excuse  me,  if  you  please,"  was  the  cold  in 
terruption  of  his  offer  to  attend  her  home,  as  she 
turned  away  quickly  and  haughtily. 

And  so  ended  his  loye  affair  in  that  quarter. 
He  did  not  attempt  to  renew  the  acquaintance. 
The  cause  of  Miss  Eaynor's  sadden  change  of 
manner  towards  him,  ever  remained  a  profound 
mystery.  How  deep  would  have  been  his  hu 
miliation  had  the  truth  been  known  !  The  lover 
was  discarded  because  he  had  neglected  to  pay 

his  washerwoman ! 
6* 


CHAPTER   XI. 


THE  heart-wound  in  the  case  of  Pinkerton 
was  not  very  deep  :  although  he  suffered  rather 
severely  from  disappointment  and  mortification, 
and  sunk  a  few  degrees  in  his  own  estimation. 
Possessing  too  little  self-denial  to  base  his  fu 
ture  worldly  well-being  on  present  industry  and 
economy,  he  had  very  deliberately  resolved  to 
look  out  for  a  rich  wife.  This  was  the  first  pro 
mising  affair.  The  disaster  came  at  the  very 
moment  when  he  felt  that  all  doubt  of  a  success 
ful  issue  was  over.  He  had  aimed  high,  but  the 
arrow  failed  to  reach  the  mark.  He  was  not  long 
in  bending  his  bow  again.  This  time,  he  was 
less  ambitious ;  and  there  was,  pehaps,  a  little 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  131 

more  heart  in  the  case.     Still,  worldly  considera 
tions  had  their  influence. 

The  new  flame  of  Pinkerton's  was  a  Miss 
Flora  Allen,  only  daughter  of  James  Allen,  Esq., 
attorney-at-law.  Miss  Allen  had  a  very  pretty 
face,  was  passably  well-educated  and  accomplish 
ed,  moved  in  "good  society  '  and  possessed  a  due 
regard  for  all  of  its  fashionable  requirements. 
She  had  begun  to  feel  a  little  concerned  about  the 
matrimonial  future,  when  young  Pinkerton  came 
in  her  way.  He  was  good-looking,  dressed  well 
and  talked  well ;  moreover,  some  one  had  spoken 
of  him  as  a  young  man  of  no  ordinary  business 
capacity,  and  likely  to  rise  in  the  world  rapidly. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Aliens  belonged  to  what 
was  called  a  "  good  family,"  though  it  must  be 
owned,  that  some  members  thereof  had  acted 
very  badly.  Indeed,  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
the  young  lady  had  once  been  tried  for  the  em 
bezzlement  of  public  moneys,  and  only  escaped  a 
term  in  the  State  prison  through  a  flaw  in  the  in- 
lictment  :  while  an  uncle  on  her  father's  side, 
ifter  betraying  the  sister  of  his  most  intimata 
Jriend,  shot  him  in  a  duel.  Still  the  "family,' 
was  a  "  good  one,"  and  Pinkerton  felt  that  an  al 
liance  therewith,  was  something  quite  desirable 


132  SPAK.ING   TO    SPEND 

Moreover,  if  common  report  was  to  be  credited, 
Mr.  Allen,  though  not  the  possessor  of  large 
wealth,  owned  several  pieces  of  property  in  good 
locations,  that  were  destined,  in  time,  to  be  very 
valuable.  His  practice  at  the  bar  was  considered . 
lucrative. 

The  advances  of  Pinkerton  in  this  quarter, 
though  encouraged  by  Miss  Flora,  were  not  coun 
tenanced  by  the  proud  father,  who  was  very  far 
from  thinking  an  alliance  with  a  poor  clerk,  of 
obscure  extraction,  in  the  least  desirable.  He 
belonged  to  a  "good  family ;"  and  so  did  the  mo 
ther  of  Flora,  who  was  equally  averse  to  any 
plebeian  connexion  for  her  daughter. 

Opposition  in  the  case  had  its  usual  effect. 
Flora  only  gave  her  heart  away  more  fully,  while 
Pinkerton,  from  meeting  with  coldness  from  the 
parents,  very  naturally  came  to  set  a  higher 
value  than  at  first  upon  the  young  lady.  And 
so  the  spark  at  first  kindled  was  soon  blown 
into  a  flame.  Acting  on  first  impulses,  an  offer 
of  marriage  was  made,  and  promptly  accepted  by 
the  young  lady ;  though,  with  the  understanding, 
that  Pinkerton  was  to  use  every  possible  means 
to  gain  the  consent  of  her  father,  who  would, 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  133 

she  knew,  most  positively  object  to  their  mar 
riage. 

The  first  approach  of  Pinkerton  to  the  proud 
lawyer  was  met  by  angry  insult.  Mr.  Allen 
flung  him  off  with  a  bitter  contempt,  that  smarted 
on  the  young  man's  feelings  like  the  bite  of  a 
serpent.  He  felt,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  the 
towering  insolence  of  that  mere  family  pride 
which  bases  itself  on  the  elevation  of  ancestors 
above  the  few  common  people  around  them, 
at  a  time  when  "  giants  in  the  land  "  were  few, 
and  when  conceit  of  personal  superiority  fed  it 
self  on  what  would  now  be  considered  very 
meagre  aliment. 

"  I  shall  never  go  to  your  father  again,"  was 
the  young  man's  positive  assertion  when  next  he 
found  himself  alone  with  Flora  Allen.  "  I  hold 
myself  to  be  a  man,  and  worthy  an  alliance  with 
the  proudest  and  the  best.  He  chose  to  insult 
me  :  but  I  will  not  again  repeat  the  opportunity." 

Flora  soothed  her  lover  as  best  she  could, 
promised  eternal  fidelity ;  and  ended  by  saying 
that  she  would  marry  him  with  or  without  her 
father's  consent,  should  opposition  continue. 
The  fact  is,  Flora  liked  the  spirit  of  the  young 
man  ;  and  was  much  better  pleased  at  his  manly 


134  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

indignation  against  her  father,  than  if  he  had 
shown  a  more  conciliatory  temper. 

Thus  stood  affairs  at  the  time  of  Lofton's  mar 
riage  ;  and  the  reader  can  very  well  understand 
why  Pinkerton  felt  desirous  of  getting  into  busi 
ness  for  himself.  To  marry  under  present  cir 
cumstances,  was  not  to  be  thought  of  for  a  mo 
ment.  On  six  hundred  dollars  a  year,  he  had 
not  been  able  to  meet  even  his  own  expenses, 
and  was  now  at  least  three  hundred  dollars  in 
debt.  To  add  a  wife  to  the  cost  of  living — and 
that  wife  the  daughter  of  James  Allen,  Esq. — 
would  have  been  folly  indeed.  The  consumma 
tion  of  his  dearest  wishes  was  not,  therefore,  of 
possible  attainment,  until  he  could  rise  above  the 
condition  of  clerk,  and  take  the  appellation  of 
merchant.  The  young  man,  possessing  a  capital 
of  ten  thousand  dollars,  of  whom  he  had  spoken 
to  his  friend  Lofton,  was  quite  as  anxious  to  be 
gin  the  world  for  himself  as  Pinkerton.  He  had 
but  few  acquaintances  in  the  city  among  business 
men :  was  by  no  means  shrewd  or  "  pushing :" 
and  had,  from  some  cause,  formed  a  very  high 
opinion  of  Pinkerton's  talents  for  merchandising, 
and  ability  to  influence  custom — an  opinion  which 
the  latter  took  everv  opportunity  to  strengthen. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  135 

And,  in  truth,  Pinkerton  was  a  young  man  of  no 
mean  business  capacity.  He  had  in  him  all  the 
elements  of  a  thrifty  merchant,  lacking  patience. 
Everything  moved  too  slow  for  him.  He  was  too 
eager  to  grasp  results ;  to  draw  sight  drafts,  so 
to  speak,  on  the  future.  As  a  clerk,  so  was  he 
likely  to  be  as  a  merchant — ever  anticipating  his 
income. 

In  due  time,  the  proposed  co-partnership  was 
formed,  and  Baltimore  street  saw,  one  morning, 
an  additional  sign,  in  gold  and  blue  smalt,  bear 
ing  the  names  of  Pinkerton  &  Ackland,  while  the 
new  firm  was  announced  in  the  "American"  and 
"  Patriot,"  and  circulars  sent  off  through  the 
mails  to  various  country  merchants  whose  cus 
tom  Pinkerton  hoped  to  influence. 

With  ten  thousand  dollars  as  a  cash  capital, 
our  young  beginners  found  no  difficulty  in  ob 
taining  all  the  goods  they  were  disposed  to  buy. 
Everybody  wanted  to  sell  them.  With  a  hand 
some  store,  a  handsome  assortment  of  goods,  the 
reputation  of  having  double  the  cash  capital 
really  possessed — for  common  report  wonderfully 
magnifies  these  things,  sometimes — and  a  for 
ward,  active,  soliciting  manner  on  the  part  of 
the  leading  business  member  of  the  new  firm, 


136  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

sales  were  made,  in  the  first  year,  of  something 
over  forty  thousand  dollars'  worth  cf  goods  ;  and, 
what  was  a  little  remarkable,  considering  the 
anxiety  felt  by  Pinkerton  to  sell,  very  few  bad 
.debts  were  made. 

The  fact  that  his  daughter's  lover  was  in  busi 
ness  for  himself,  and  in  connection  with  a  man 
of  "  large  capital " — we  quote  from  common 
rumor — failed  to  remove  objections  to  the  pro 
posed  alliance  from  the  mind  of  Mr.  Allen.  All 
this  diti  not  make  purer  the  "  blood  "  that  coursed 
through  the  young  man's  veins.  And,  moreover, 
Mr.  Allen  was  a  close  observer,  and  shrewd 
enough  to  know  that  success  is  the  exception,  and 
not  the  rule,  for  young  men  who  make  a  bold 
start  in  business,  even  with  a  few  thousands  to 
back  them.  A  bankrupt  son-in-law,  he  said  to 
himself,  would  be  no  flattering  addition  to  his 
family  circle.  And  so  he  continued  to  set  his 
face  like  brass  against  the  proposed  union. 

What,  then,  was  to  be  done  ?  Our  lovers  were 
quite  independent  in  their  way  of  thinking ;  and 
this  kind  of  thinking  usually  shows  itself  in  in 
dependent  action.  The  unexpected  amount  of 
business  done  by  the  new  firm  quite  lifted 
Pinkerton  above  the  earth.  He  saw  himself  on 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  137 

the  high  road  to  fortune,  and  at  no  very  great 
distance  from  the  glittering  goal.  The  first  busi 
ness  year  had  passed.  The  estimate  of  profits 
had  been  made,  and  the  business  for  the  next 
year  beautifully  and  flatteringly  displayed  on 
paper.  How  rapidly  and  rejoicingly  did  the 
blood  go  dancing  through  the  young  man's  veins  ! 
Everything  looked  promising  beyond  his  warmest 
anticipations.  He  already  felt  like  a  rich  man. 
Not  a  dollar  of  personal  debt,  beyond  a  new  cur 
rent  tailor's  bill,  was  against  him  anywhere. 
Every  old  claim  had  been  cancelled,  even  to  the 
six  dollars,  lacking  a  quarter,  due  Bridget,  the 
washerwoman.  How  stands  his  individual  ac 
count  on  the  books  of  the  new  firm  ?  asks  some 
one.  Let  us  see.  Sixteen  hundred  dollars  !  That 
does  look  rather  formidable.  So  we  think ;  and 
so  thought  Mr.  Ackland,  his  partner,  to  whose 
debit  just  six  hundred  dollars  had  been  passed 
during  the  same  period  of  time.  What  did 
Pinkerton  do  with  so  much  money  ?  How  did 
he,  with  only  himself  to  support,  manage  to  get 
rid  of  so  large  a  sum  ?  It  is  easily  explained.  A 
few  hundred  dollars  went  to  pay  off  old  obliga 
tions.  Then  it  cost  something  for  the  handsome 
gold  watch  and  diamond  ring  which  he  gene- 


138  SPARING   TO    SPEND 

rously  presented  to  his  lady-love,  and  for  the 
horse  and  buggy  that  so  frequently  bore  them 
away  from  the  hot  and  dusty  city  to  drink  the 
pure,  breezy  air  of  the  pleasant  environs.  The 
reader,  from  this  hint,  will  find  no  difficulty  in 
gathering  additional  items  to  make  up  the  im 
posing  aggregate. 

What  was  to  be  done  by  the  lovers,  we  have 
asked,  seeing  that  Mr.  Allen  would  not  consent 
to  their  union  ?  That  question  it  was  easy  to  de 
cide.  Get  married  without  his  consent !  And 
this  it  was  now  resolved  to  do.  Pinkerton  con 
sidered  himself  perfectly  able  to  take  a  wife,  and 
to  maintain  her  in  the  style  in  which  his  wife 
should  live.  On  announcing  this  intention  to  his 
partner,  that  gentleman  received  the  intelligence 
rather  coldly.  Already  he  had  been  turning  over 
in  his  thoughts,  and  not  with  much  pleasure  to 
himself,  the  large  sum  which  Pinkerton  had 
drawn  out  during  the  year ;  and  he  was  not  alto 
gether  satisfied,  either  as  to  the  necessity  for  such 
an  important  abstraction,  or  as  to  the  use  which 
had  been  made  of  the  money.  "  If,  "  he  very  na 
turally  said  to  himself,  "  it  takes  sixteen  hundred 
dollars  a  year  to  support  him  as  a  single  man,  it 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  139 

will  take  at  least  double  that  sum  to  meet  his  ex« 
pences  as  a  married  man." 

But  the  cogitations  of  Mr.  Ackland,  as  they  did 
not  find  their  way  into  verbal  expression,  had  no 
effect  upon  Mr.  Mark  Pinkerton,  who,  having 
made  up  his  mind  to  get  married,  at  once  for 
warded  all  due  arrangements  for  the  important 
business.  Being  a  merchant ,  and  in  the  pro 
cess  of  "  coining  money,"  he  felt  it  not  only 
due  to  his  own  position,  but  to  that  of  his  in 
tended  bride,  also,  to  set  up,  in  the  beginning, 
an  establishment  of  his  own.  To  this  end,  he 
took  a  house  in  Courtland  street,  at  a  rent  of  four 
hundred  dollars — a  pretty  good  rent  in  that  day 
— and  furnished  it  at  a  cost  of  over  two  thousand 
dollars.  For  the  greater  part  of  this  sum,  the 
cabinet-maker,  carpet-dealer,  and  upholsterer, 
very  readily  took  his  notes  payable  in  six  months. 
The  next  act  was  to  run  away  with  Flora  Allen, 
get  the  matrimonial  knot  tied,  and  then  intro 
duce  her  into  her  new  home,  all  of  which  was 
done  in  the  usual  romantic  way  ,  and  all  of  which 
became  town  talk  for  the  ensuing  nine  days. 

To  James  Allen,  Esq.,  and  his  high-born  lady, 
the  event  was  not  altogether  unexpected.  Though 
common  rumor  credited  them  with  sundry  most 


140  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

unparental  and  unchristian  speeches  on  the  oc 
casion,  we  believe  they  wisely  forbore  to  give  ut 
terance  to  anything  very  savage,  or  to  commit 
themselves  in  broad  declarations  that  might,  at 
some  future  time,  have  to  be  recalled.  Yet  it  is 
not  to  be  concealed,  that  they  were  greatly  in 
dignant  at  the  event,  and  considered  themselves 
and  their  family  eternally  disgraced  by  so  low 
born  an  alliance. 

Of  course,  Flora  wrote  home  immediately  on  her 
marriage,  humbly  asking  forgiveness  for  an  act 
which  was  unrepented  of,  and  of  course  her  letter 
remained  unanswered.  She  would  have  been  sur 
prised,  and,  perhaps,  a  little  disappointed,  had  it 
been  otherwise.  Too  quick  a  reconciliation  would 
have  stripped  the  affair  of  more  than  half  of  its 
romance.  The  reconciliation  came  in  due  time, 
though  not  with  a  good  grace.  Pinkerton  was 
ever  made  to  feel  that  the  blood  flowing  in  his 
veins  was  not  worthy  to  mingle  with  the  blood  of 
an  Allen  1 


CHAPTER   XII 


IN  most'cases,  with  marriage,  early  friendships 
begin  to  decline.  Two  young  men,  for  instance, 
may  be  warmly  attached,  and  desire  still  to  main 
tain  old  relations.  They  introduce  their  wives  • 
but  one,  or  both  of  the  ladies,  perceive  something 
uncongenial  in  the  other — or,  one  regards  the 
other  as  inferior  in  social  rank,  taste,  or  intelli 
gence.  For  a  short  time  they  meet  formally ;  and 
then  mutually  turn  from  each  other — or,  in  the 
very  outset,  pride  on  the  one  side  shrinks  sensi 
tively  back,  and  the  first  introduction  and  cold 
compliments  are  the  beginning  and  end  of  their 
social  intercourse. 

Pinkerton  had  always  felt  an  attachment  for 
Lofton  ;  and  the  feeling,  different  as  they  were  in 


142  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

their  tastes,  habits,  and  principles  of  action,  was 
reciprocated  by  the  latter.  After  Lofton's  mar 
riage,  his  friend  often  called  to  see  him,  in  the 
evening,  or  on  Sundays,  and  the  more  frequently 
he  met  Mrs.  Lofton,  the  more  did  he  become 
charmed  with  the  beauty  of  her  character.  While 
her  mother  lived,  the  education  of  Ellen  had  been 
as  carefully  attended  to  as  very  limited  means 
would  permit.  Mrs.  Birch  was  a  woman  of  cul 
tivated  mind,  and  had  moved  at  one  time  of  life 
in  a  circle  of  great  refinement.  Though  restricted 
in  her  circumstances,  she  had  never  permitted  low 
and  vulgar  influences  to  come  so  within  the  reach 
of  her  daughter,  as  in  any  way  to  deprave  her 
native  delicacy  of  feeling*;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
she  had  taught  her  to  set  a  true  value  upon  those 
homely  virtues,  which  one  in  her  station  would 
be  called  upon  to  exercise.  Under  so  wise  and 
loving  a  teacher,  Ellen  had  learned  her  lessons 
well,  the  more  so,  that  within  her  lay  inherent 
all  the  germs  of  a  true  woman.  From  the  time 
of  her  mother's  death,  until  her  marriage,  Ellen 
had  found  little  time  for  mental  improvement. 
But,  after  her  marriage,  as  her  husband  had  a 
fondness  for  books,  an  hour  or  two  every  even- 
Ing  were  spent  in  reading.  Possessing  a  clear  and 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  143 

active  mind,  the  young  wife  soon  began  to  feel 
the  elevating  and  expansive  power  of  knowledge. 
She  seemed  to  be  raised  into  a  higher  and  purer 
atmosphere,  where  she  not  only  breathed  deeper 
and  more  freely,  but  had  a  wider  range  of  vision, 
in  which  were  new  objects,  the  sight  thereof  filling 
her  with  a  new  delight.  And,  as  this  went  on, 
her  sweet  young  face  took  in  a  higher  type  of 
beauty,  and  her  graceful  form  grew  erect  with  a 
dignity  all  its  own. 

Soon,  to  Pinkerton,  she  was  no  longer  the  half- 
despised,  and  only  tolerated  sewing-girl — tolerated 
because  she  was  the  wife  of  his  friend — but  an 
intelligent,  graceful  woman,  commanding  the 
respect  of  all  who  came  near  enough  to  perceive 
her  true  character.  And  yet  she  was  so  retiring, 
so  gentle,  that,  like  the  humble  violet,  she  was 
unnoticed,  except  by  the  few  who  were  willing  to 
believe  that  beauty  and  perfume  may  sometimes 
be  hidden  along  by-paths,  and  in  the  world's  UD 
trodden  places. 

Nearly  up  to  the  time  of  Pinkerton's  marriage, 
Lofton  continued  to  reside  with  Mrs.  Wilson,  both 
he  and  his  young  wife  deeming  it  most  prudent 
yet  to  live  within  their  moderate  income,  and  thus 
be  steadily  accumulating  something,  small  though 


144  SPAKING    TO    SPEND. 

it  might  be,  against  the  time  when  heavier  ex 
penses  would  come.  As  to  what  this  thoughtless 
or  that  proud  individual  might  say  of  their  style 
of  living,  it  was  a  matter  that  did  not  trouble 
them  in  the  least.  They  knew  their  own  re 
sources,  and  wisely  narrowed  every  thing  down 
to  a  prudent  limit. 

A  number  of  times  had  Pinkerton  spoken  of 

'Mrs.  Lofton  to  his  bride  to  be,  and  once,  when 

they  were  walking  on  a  Sunday  afternoon,  in  the 

western  part  of  the  city,  he  prevailed  on  Miss 

Allen  to  call  with  him  upon  his  friends. 

"  Not  here  !"  exclaimed  the  young  lady,  draw 
ing  back,  as  Pinkerton  laid  his  hand  on  the  little 
gate  through  which  they  were  about  to  enter. 

"  Yes.  This  is  the  place,"  replied  the  young 
man,  smiling.  "  You  mustn't  judge  too  directly 
from  appearances.  Remember  what  the  poet 
says : — 

"  '  Full  many  a  gem  of  purest  ray  serene.'  " 

At  this  moment,  Lofton  having  seen  them  from 
the  window,  opened  the  door  of  Mrs.  "Wilson's 
little  "  salt-box,"  and  advanced  to  meet  them.  Re 
treat — and  Miss  Allen  had  attempted  retreat 
— was  now  impossible ;  so  assuming  a  well-bred, 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  145 

dignified  indifference,  the  young  lady  permitted  ' 
herself  to  be  escorted  into  the  poor  little  parlor, 
where  sat  the  wife  of  Archibald  Lofton. 

Too  much  dimmed  by  pride  and  vain  self-con 
ceit,  were  the  eyes  of  Flora  Allen,  to  see  any 
thing  in  Mrs.  Lofton,  but  a  low-minded,  vulgar 
young  woman,  the  wife  of  a  poor  clerk.  Her  air 
of  superiority,  and  her  evident  uneasiness  at 
finding  herself  in  such  a  place,  were  so  apparent, 
that  Mrs.  Lofton  felt  oppressed,  and  almost  suf 
focated  by  her  presence.  She  tried  to  enter  into 
conversation,  but  could  find  little  to  say.  Half- 
an  hour  of  constrained  intercourse  followed  ;  and 
then,  in  obedience  to  a  glance  from  Miss  Allen, 
Pinkerton  made  a  movement  to  go. 

"  "Why,  Mr.  Pinkerton  !    How  could  you  have 

taken  me  to  such  a  place  !"  was  the  exclamation 

• 

of  Miss  Allen,  the  moment  they  were  in  the  street. 
"  I  wouldn't  have  been  seen  going  in  there  for 
the  world.  And  such  stupid  people  !  Ha  !  ha  ! 
And  this  is  the  charming,  intelligent  creature  you 
have  been  telling  me  about.  Why,  she  hardly 
spoke  three  words  all  the  time  we  were  in  the 
house,  and  they  had  no  more  meaning  m  thcrn 
than  the  words  of  a  child." 
7 


146  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  Y^u  saw  her  to  a  disadvantage,''  said  the 
young  man,  venturing  to  a  feeble  defence.  "  She 
is  rather  timid  and  unused  to  company.  Evidently, 
we  took  her  by  surprise." 

"  So  I  should  think.  I  compared  her  in  my 
own  mind,  when  we  went  in,  to  a  startled  rabbit. 
But  what  can  be  expected  of  one  in  her  position  ? 
Your  'gem  of  purest  ray  serene,'  Mr.  Pinkerton, 
turns  out  a  mere  bit  of  crystal." 

"  I  trust  to>  see  the  day,  Flora,  when  you  will 
think  differently,"  returned  Pinkerton. 

"  More  than  I  do,  I  can  assure  you.  No,  no ;  my 
fancy  doesn't  run  on  these  kind  of  people,  and 
never  did.  They  are  .well  enough  in  their 
place.  Very  good  for  service  that  you  need.  But 
as  companions,  no — no."  And  the  young  lady 
curled  her  lip  in  sharp  scorn,  and  tossed  her  head 
with  a  proud  air. 

Pinkerton  was  silenced,  and  partly  convinced. 
We  mean,  his  estimate  of  Mrs.  Lofton  was 
dimmed.  For  the  time-being,  he  felt  that  she  was 
a  very  common-place  woman  ;  good  enough  as  a 
seamstress,  or  as  the  wife  of  a  poor,  unambitious, 
plodding  clerk :  but  in  no  way  fitted  to  take  a 
place  in  good  society — in  no  way  fitted  to  be  the 
companion  of*  his  accomplished  Flora.  On  meet- 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  147 

ing  with  Lofton  a  few  days  afterwards,  he  said  to 
him : — 

"  I  am  really  getting  out  of  all  patience  with 
you." 

"  What  about  ?  "  was  the  natural  enquiry. 

"  Why  will  you  keep  that  nice  little  wife  of 
yours  cooped  up  in  such  a  miserable  out  of  the 
way  place  ?  It  is  not  just  to  her.  She's  fitted  to 
shine  in  almost  any  society." 

"Necessity  knows  no  law,"  was  the  quiet 
answer. 

"  There's  no  necessity  for  this,"  said  Pinkerton, 
decidedly — "  none  in  the  world.  You're  able  to 
take  your  wife  into  a  respectable  boarding-house 
down  town,  where  she  would  be  brought  into  the 
company  of  people  who  have  a  position  in  society. 
Even  if  she  make  desirable  acquaintances  now, 
she  has  no  decent  place  in  which  to  receive  them 
as  visitors.  You  are  not  just  to  her.  You  are 
hiding  her  under  a  bushel.  It  is  a  downright 
shame  !  " 

"  You  really  think  so  ?"  remarked  Lofton,  not 
attempting  to  repress  the 'smile  that  broke  over 
his  face. 

"  I  do,  in  all  seriousness,"  was  answered. 

"  As  I  have  said  to  you  before,  Mark,  we'll  bide 


148  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

our  time,"  coolly  replied  Lofton.  "  We  can  wait. 
As  to  people  who  think  it  not  worth  while  to 
visit  us,  because  we  do  not  live  in  a  style  beyond 
our  means,  why,  we  shall  have  to  dispense  with 
their  acquaintance.  To  secure  it  on  the  terms 
you  propose,  would  be  to  make  it  cost,  we  think, 
more  than  it  is  worth.  It  would  never  compen 
sate  for  the  annoyance,  mortification  and  anxieties 
of  debt.  If  respectable  people  demand  so  high  a 
price  for  their  friendship,  we  shall  decline  the 
purchase." 

"  You  are  incorrigible  !"  exclaimed  Pinkerton. 

"  So  you  have  said  before.  And  it  will  be  very 
remarkable,  if  I  don't  continue,  at  least  in  this 
respect,  incorrigible  to  the  end.  And  so  I  must 
bid  you  good  morning.  Business  waits." 

Lofton  understood,  clearly  enough,  what  was 
in  the  mind  of  his  friend.  He  had  not  failed  to 
observe  the  impression  his  humble  style  of  living 
made  upon  the  accomplished  Miss  Allen  ;  nor 
hesitated  in  his  conclusion,  that  whatever  might 
be  her  own  impression  of  herself,  she  was  not, 
at  least  in  his  estimation,  a  true  lady. 


CHAPTER    XIII 


ABOUT  the  time  of  Pinkerton's  marriage,  an 
advance  from  six  hundred  to  one  thousand  dollars 
having  taken  place  in  Lofton's  salary,  our  pru- 
.dent  young  couple  felt  themselves  warranted  in 
doing  what,  from  the  first,  they  had  desired  to 
do — commence  housekeeping.  Near  to  the  dwel 
ling  rented  by  Pinkerton,  was  another  far  less 
ambitious.  It  contained  two  rooms  on  the  first 
floor,  two  in  the  second  story,  and  two  attic 
rooms,  besides  a  kitchen  in  the  basement.  There 
were  no  entries  in  the  house,  the  street  door 
opening  into  the  parlor,  and  the  stairs  ascending 
from  one  corner  of  the  room  adjoining.  The  rent 
of  the  house  was  nine  dollars  a  month.  Furnished 
for  the  small  sum  of  four  hundred  dollars— just 


150  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

the  amount  that  Lofton  had  saved,  and  which  was 
now  spent  with  genuine  pleasure — it  presented 
nothing  very  elegant  either  as  to  the, exterior  or 
interior.  Yet,  the  good  taste  displayed  in  the  few 
articles  of  furniture  purchased,  gave  so  pleasant 
an  air  to  the  house,  that  few  would  have  imagined 
the  smallness  of  the  outlay  that  produced  so  agree 
able  an  effect,  and  gave  to  the  new  dwelling- 
place  of  our  young  friends  an  appearance  so  home 
like  and  comfortable.  How  marked  a  contrast 
did  the  two  dwellings  of  Lofton  and  Pinkerton 
exhibit.  The  one  furnished,  mainly,  with  an  eye 
to  effect ;  the  other  attired  in  only  the  few  things 
needful  and  comfortable,  that  were  to  be  pur 
chased  for  the  moderate  sum  of  four  hundred  dol 
lars.  And  there  was  another  important  difference  : 
a  difference  that  told  strongly  in  favor  of  the  small 
house  and  meagre  stock  of  furniture.  Every  article 
of  household  use  and  comfort  was  paid  for  in  the 
latter  case,  while  in  the  former  everything  was 
owed  for.  Nor  can  the  fact  be  disguised,  that  in 
this  difference  lay  the  ground-work  of  much 
serene  enjoyment  on  the  one  side  and  disquiet  on 
the  other. 

The  house  in  which  Lofton  shut  himself  in  from 
the  common  gaze  —  his   home — how  the   word 


SPARING     TO    SPEND.  151 

thrilled  sweetly  along  every  nerve  even  to  his  in 
nermost  spirit ! — humble  though  it  was,  met  fully 
all  his  present  desires,  and  in  occupying  it  he  had 
no  troubled  questionings  on  the  score  of  its  cost, 
as  compared  to  his  means.  And  so  of  his  neat, 
but  scanty  furniture.  Every  article  was  his  own 
It  was  otherwise  with  Pinkerton.  Much  as  he 
had  tried  to  argue  himself  into  the  conviction 
that  he  was  "  coming  money,"  and  therefore  fully 
able  to  pay  four  hundred  dollars  rent,  he  had  not 
been  altogether  successful.  He  knew  that  it  was 
a  piece  of  extravagance  on  his  part  not  to  be 
justified  on  any  plea.  As  to  his  furniture  the 
fact  that  the  whole  was  purchased  on  time,  left 
no  time  whatever  for  self- approval :  while  the 
ever-present  remembrance  that  at  the  end  of  a 
few  rapidly  fleeting  months,  over  two  thousand 
dollars,  in  addition  to  his  current  expenses,  now 
considerably  increased  in  amount,  must  be  drawn 
from  his  business,  produced  at  times  absolute 
unhappiness.  The  beautiful  apples  he  had  grasped 
so  eagerly,  were  already  turning  to  ashes  in  his 
hands. 

"  What  are  these?"  asked  Lofton  of  his  wife,  on 
returning  home  one  evening,  a  day  or  two  after 
the  marriage  of  Pinkerton.  She  had  handed  him 


152  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

a  tasteful  envelope,  to  which  was  attached  a  piece 
of  white  ribbon.  It  contained  cards  of  the  newly 
married  couple. 

"  Indeed  !  This  is  a  piece  of  condescension  I 
had  not  expected,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  Nor  I,"  returned  his  wife. 

"  It  means,  I  suppose,  that  they  desire  us  to 
call  ?" 

"Yes :  that  is  the  meaning." 

"  And  yet,  Ellen,  I  do  not  believe  they  wish  to 
number  us  among  their  intimate  friends.  Indeed, 
1  am  sure  that  Mrs.  Pinkerton  does  not.  She 
belongs  to  one  of  the  proudest  families  in  the  city 
— and  yet  how  little  have  they  on  which  to  foster  • 
pride." 

"  Pride  usually  sustains  itself  on  very  meagre 
aliment  you  know,"  was  the  smiling  answer. 

"  True  enough.  At  home  on  Thursday — so  the 
cards  say.  Shall  we  call  ?" 

"  Just  as  you  wish,  Archie.  Mr.  Pinkerton  is 
your  friend;  if  you  desire  intimate  social  relations 
with  him,  we  must  make  them  a  bridal  visit. 
They  have  indicated  their  wish  to  have  us  do  so 
by  sending  their  cards.  If  the  tender  is  a  false 
one,  we  will  soon  know  it;  if  sincere,  the  acquain- 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  153 

tance  may  have  its    uses  and  pleasures.     I  am 
ready  to  do  just  as  you  desire." 

"  We  will  call,  then,"  said  Lofton.  "  For  years, 
Mark  and  I  have  been  on  terms  of  friendly  inti 
macy.  I  shall  be  well  pleased  to  have  that  inti 
macy  still  continued  ;  and  if  you  and  Mrs.  Pinker- 
ton  can  find  in  each  other  anything  to  inspire  a 
mutual  attachment,  so  much  the  better." 

The  next  day  being  Thursday,  when  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pinkerton  were  "  at  home,"  to  their 
friends,  a  bridal  call  was  made.  It  was  a  very 
formal  matter  ;  the  want  of  heart  in  Mrs.  Pinker- 
ton  being  covered  by  a  well-assumed  exterior,  and 
the  utterance  of  fitly  chosen  words,  that  meant 
anything  or  nothing.  She  did  not  say  to  Mrs. 
Lofton — "I  am  happy  to  see  you;"  or  "I  am 
happy  to  make  your  acquaintance."  No  —"I  had 
the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  some  few  months 
ago,"  was  entirely  non-committal,  and  so  was  th 
charming  smile  with  which  the  words  were 
spoken.  A  few  common  places  were  uttered  on 
the  one  side,  and  responded  to  on  the  other. 
Some  cake  was  eaten  and  wine  drunk,  and  then 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lofton  retired,  each  with  a  certain 
pressure  on  the  bosom  that  neither  felt  as  at  all 


154  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

agreeable,  while  the  cause  of  it  was  hardly  sus 
ceptible  of  explanation. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it  all?"  said  the 
former,  on  gaining  their  unambitious  home,  and 
seating  themselves  in  their  little  parlor. 

"  They  are  commencing  the  world  in  a  showy 
style,  certainly,"  replied  Mrs.  Lofton. 

"  It's  Pinkerton  all  over,"  said  her  husband, 
shaking  his  head.  "  I'm  sorry  for  him." 

«  Why  sorry  ?" 

"  He's  only  making  trouble  for  himself.  Though 
I  know  nothing  of  his  personal  affairs,  yet  I  am 
just  as  sure  as  that  we  are  sitting  in  this  room, 
that  the  whole  of.  that  furniture  is  yet  to  be  paid 
for." 

"  He  vould  hardly  be  so  foolish  as  that,"  re 
plied  Mrs.  Lofton. 

"  He's  foolish  enough  for  anything,  where  show 

d  appearance  are  concerned.  I  never  knew  a 
'man  so  weak  in  this  respect.  He  never  has  been 
and  never  will  be  satisfied  to  live  in  a  style  war 
ranted  by  present  resources.  Were  he  a  lord,  he 
would  emulate  the  style  of  a  duke;  if  a  duke, 
nothing  below  the  establishment  of  a  prince 
would  suit  him.  He  has  many  good  qualities ; 


SPARING     TO    SPEND.  155 

but  his  defect  of  character  must  ruin  everything 
in  the  end.     The  result  is  inevitable." 

"  Do  you  think  Mrs.  Pinkerton  will  return  our 
call  ?"  asked  Ellen. 

"  I  have  my  doubts.  "We  are  not  the  kind  of 
people  whose  society  she  would  enjoy.  Neither  is 
our  style  of  living  up  to  the  mark  she  regards  as 
respectable.  But  we  will  see." 

A  few  days  after  Pinkerton's  marriage  and 
showy  advent  into  the  social  world,  the  firm  of 
which  he  was  a  member,  received  advice  of  the 
failure  to  take  up  a  note  by  a  country  merchant 
who  owed  them  three  thousand  dollars.  Here 
was  a  damper  to  the  young  man's  business  en 
thusiasm.  If  doubts  had  already  visited  him  as 
to  the  prudence  of  his  course  in  buying  costly  fur 
niture  on  credit — and  he  had  not  escaped  such 
troublesome  visitors — these  doubts  were  now  in 
creased  to  convictions. 

"But,"  said- he,  rousing  himself,  from  a  t 
of  rather  gloomy  reflections,  which  had  intruded 
themselves,  "what's  done  can't  be  helped,  and 
it's  folly  to  sit  down  and  cry  over  it.  I've  bought 
the  furniture,  and  it  must  be  paid  for.  That  bur 
den  disposed  of,  everything  will  go  on  smoothly 
enough  afterwards.  It  won't  be  just  the  thing 


156  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

for  me  to  draw  so  much  money  out  of  the  con 
cern  ;  but,  no  doubt,  I  can  borrow  a  part  of  it 
when  the  notes  come  due,  and  so  throw  the  hea 
viest  portion  some  months  still  in  advance." 

Time  wore  on.  The  country  merchant  had 
actually  failed,  and  the  loss  was  total — threo 
thousand  dollars.  The  man  was  a  rogue,  and 
had  made  away  with  everything.  Mr.  Ackland 
was  very  nervous  about  the  matter,  and  said  a 
number  of  things  that  were  not  altogether  plea 
sant  to  the-  ears  of  his  partner,  who,  in  view  of 
the  immediate  maturity  of  his  personal  obliga 
tions,  felt  particularly  uncomfortable. 

"  What  are  these  ?"  asked  Mr.  Ackland,  one 
morning,  holding  in  his  hand  three  or  four  bank 
notices,  each  bearing  the  name  of  Mark  Pinker- 
ton.  His  brow  was  slightly  contracted,  and  on 
his  face  was  a  rather  troubled  expression. 
Ik  Pinkerton  glanced  over  the  notices,  and  then 
replied,  in  a  careless  way — 

"  Oh — they  have  nothing  $6  do  with  the  busi 
ness.  I'll  take  care  of  them.  They  were  given 
in  settlement  of  my  furniture  bills." 

Mr.  Ackland  made  no  reply.  But  he  was  far 
from  feeling  satisfied.  Shortly  "afterwards,  he 
had  the  ledger  open  at  Pinkerton's  account,  and 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  157 

pencil  in  hand,  was  footing  it  up.  With  a  grave 
face  and  a  shake  of  the  head,  he  closed  the  book, 
muttering — 

"  Eleven  hundred  dollars  in  six  months  !  This 
will  never  do  for  me — never." 

A  week  from  that  time,  one  of  these  notes,  for 
the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  became  due,  and 
on  a  day.  when  the  firm  had  over  four  thousand 
to  meet.  It  was  quite  as  much  as  the  business 
could  do  to  bear  its  own  burdens.  So  Mr. 
Pinkerton  did  not  think  it  wise,  especially  as  he 
was  beginning  to  understand  something  of  his 
partner's  feelings  on  the  subject  of  his  heavy  per 
sonal  expenses,  to  let  the  firm  provide  for  his  ob 
ligations.  But,  out  of  the  business,  he  had  no 
resources.  What,  then,  was  to  be  done  ?  His 
first  effort  to  raise  the  sum  required  was  after 
this  wise.  He  drew  a  note  at  four  months  for 
five  hundred  dollars,  payable  to  his  own  order, 
and  took  it  to  a  cerfcajjknote-broker.  The  broker 

.,v 

looked  at  the  nqJ;e^^Bhed  it  over  and  over  two 
or  three  times,  andlKen  shook  his  head. 

"  Can't  }^ou  get  the  money  for  me?"  asked 
Pinkerton. 

"  I'm  afraid  Hot." 

"  Why  ?" 


158  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

"  How  can  you  ask  the  question  ?  It  isn't 
strong  enough." 

"  I  guess  I'm  perfectly  good,"  said  Pinkerto  n, 
with  some  dignity  of  manner. 

"  No  doubt  of  that,  sir — none  in  the  world," 
answered  the  broker.  "  But  we  can't  convince 
any  man  who  has  money  that  it  is  safe  to  lend  it 
on  the  security  of  a  single  name — the  more  par 
ticularly  when  the  paper  is  not  legitimate." 

"  Not  legitimate !     What  do  you — " 

"  Oh,  I  mean  not  business  paper — that's  all. 
Of  course,  this  is  a  mere  made  note— not  based 
on  any  commercial  transaction ;  and  such  notes, 
to  be  taken  at  all,  must  be  half  covered  with  the 
best  of  names." 

"  You  can't  get  the  money  for  me?" 

"  I'm  afraid  not."  „ 

Pinkerton  looked  disappointed  and  perplexed 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I  think  can  be  done,"  said 
the  broker. 

"What?"  The  countenance  of  Pinkerton 
brightened. 

"  Bring  me  the  note  of  Pinkerton  &  Ackland, 
drawn  in  your  favor,  if  you  choose,  and  there 
will  be  no  difficulty." 

"  That  can  be  done,  you  think  ?" 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  159 

"  Oh  yes — no  doubt  of  it.  The  firm  is  regard 
ed  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  in  the  city. — 
There'll  be  no  difficulty  with  their  note." 

Pinkerton  departed.  He  did  not  like  this  pro 
position.  To  create  an  obligation  for  the  firm, 
out  of  the  business  and  for  his  own  use,  and  this 
secretly,  was  too  clearly  wrong  to  be  thought  of 
But  what  was  he  to  do  ?  From  what  source  was 
money  to  be  obtained  ?  Another  broker  was 
tried — but  the  individual  note,  unendorsed,  would 
not  go  down.  The  young  man  now  began  to 
feel  much  worried  in  mind,  and  much  less,  confi 
dent  touching  the  potency  of  his  name  in  money 
circles.  - 

The  extremity  became  pressing.  Although 
Pinkerton  could  not  think  of  signing  the  name  of 
the  firm  to  a  note  of  his  own  creating,  after  much 
debate  with  himself,  he  resolved  to  draw  a  note 
in- favor  of  Pinkerton  &  Ackland,  and  endorse  it 
with  the  signature  of  the  firm.  This,  although 
it  did  not  materially  change  the  moral  character 
of  the  transaction, "was  felt  to  be  a  safer  proceed 
ing,  as  he  could  take  up  the  note  when  it  became 
due,  and  thus  conceal  from  his  partner  all  about 
the  endorsement.  A  note  was  accordingly  made, 
signed,  and  duly  endorsed.  This  he  took  to  the 


160     *  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

broker  upon  whom  he  had  first  called.  That 
worthy  examined  the  note,  and  again  shook  his 
head. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  Won't  that  do  ?"  said 
Pinkerton. 

"  It  may  do— but— " 

"But  what?" 

"  It  isn't  in  the  right  shape.  It  should  have 
been  signed  Pinkerton  &  Ackland." 

"  The  security  is  just  as  good.  The  firm  is  as 
much  bound  in  one  case  as  in  the  other." 

"  I  know.  Still  we  always  like  the  drawer's 
name  to  be  strongest." 

"  It  will  be  lifted  just  the  same." 

"  I  don't  in  the  least  doubt  that,  my  young 
friend ;  and,  if  I  were  going  to  discount  the  note 
myself,  would  not  hesitate  a  moment.  But  I 
deal  with  a  shrewd,  cautious,  worldly-wise  class 
of  men,  who,  when  they  lend  their  money,  re 
fuse  paper  unless  braced  up  by  the  strongest  se 
curity.  You  want  this  money  to  day  ?" 

«  Yes." 

"  Very  well.  I'll  try  for  you.  But  you  mustn't 
be  disappointed  should  I  fail." 

"  How  soon  may  I  call  ?" 

"  In  an  hour." 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  161 

"  Very  well.     I  will  be  here." 

"  If  you  must  have  the  money  to-day,"  said 
the  broker,  detaining  him,  "  it  is  hardly  wise  to 
lose  time.  On  a  firm  note,  the  discount  is  sure. 
The  offering  of  this  may  have  a  bad  efiect.  Had 
you  not  better  draw  a  new  note  ?' 

Pinkerton  lingered  and  hesitated. 

"  Here  are  blanks,"  urged  the  broker,  who 
wished  to  make  his  commission  with  as  little 
trouble  as  possible,  and  who  knew  where  Pinker- 
ton  &  Ackland's  note  wonld  be  taken.  "  I  un 
derstand  the  transaction  entirely.  You  wish  a 
little  money  for  your  private  use,  and  don't  want 
to  draw  it  out  of  the  business." 

"  That's  just  it,"  said  Pinkerton,  in  a  half 
confidential  tone  of  voice.  "  You  know  I  hava 
been  taking  myself  a  wife,  and  a  wife  always 
brings  some  extra  expenses." 

"  Exactly."  The  tempter  smiled  and  nodded. 
"  I  understand  it  all.  Here's  a  blank  note. 
Draw  to  your  own  order,  and  sign  it  Pinkerton 
&  Ackland,  and  it  shall  be  cashed  for  you  in  half 
an  hour." 

Thus  urged,  the  young  man  yielded.  He  drew, 
signed  and  endorsed  the  note,  as  proposed,  and 
then  went  back  to  his  store,  feeling  by  no  means 


162  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

comfortable,  the  more  particularly  as  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  more  would  have  to  be  raised  in 
the  next  two  or  three  weeks. 

In  due  time,  Pinkerton  received  from  the 
broker  the  net  sum  of  four  hundred  and  seventy 
dollars ;  thirty  dollars  having  been  abstracted 
from  the  five  hundred  to  cover  discount  and 
broker's  commission. 

In  order  to  lift  the  remaining  notes  given  for 
furniture,  Pinkerton,  who  did  not  deem  it  wise 
or  prudent  to  draw  even  a  portion  of  what  was 
needed  from  the  business,  resorted  to  a  like  expe 
dient.     Notes  of  the  firm  were  created  and  dis 
counted.     He  was  over  the  difficulty  for  at  least 
four  months  to  come,  and  hushed  for  a  time  all 
troubled  questions  as  to  the  future,  by  saying, 
"  Let  the  morrow  take  thought  for  the  things  of 
itself;  sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 
As  the  time  for  the  maturity  of  these  notes 
drew  nearer  and  nearer,  our  imprudent  young 
friend  began  to  feel  uneasy.    The  transaction  was 
not  to  be  justified  on  any  plea  whatever.     It  was 
in  direct  violation  of  common  principles  of  .right 
involved,  though  not  expressed,  in  the  provisions 
of  that  co-partnership  under  which  he  was  doing 
business.     The  fact  that  he  had  used  the  name 


SKA  KING    TO    SPEND.  163 

of  the  firm  in  order  to  obtain  money  for  his  private 
use,  should  it  become  known  to  Mr.  Ackland, 
would  not  only  destroy  that  gentleman's  confi 
dence  in  him,  but  might  lead  to  a  dissolution. 
And  a  dissolution,  with  such  a  reason  assigned, 
would  ruin  his  prospects  in  life.  It  had  never 
been  his  intention,  from  the  first,  that  his  part 
ner  should  know  anything  about  these  notes. 
How  this  was  to  be  prevented  had  not  been  clear 
ly  seen  when  they  were  given ;  but  he  had  flat 
tered  himself  that  no  trouble  need  arise  on  this 
account.  As  the  time  for  their  payment'  drew 
near,  his  mind  dwelt  almost  constantly  on  this 
perplexing  subject.  It  seemed  but  a  little  matter 
to  prevent  the  bank  notices  from  coming  under 
the  eyes  of  Mr.  Ackland — and  only  this  was 
needed  to  make  all  safe.  But  so  many  contin 
gencies  were  in  the  case,  that  it  was  scarcely 
possible  for  four  notices  to  be  left  at  the  store, 
and  each  one  of  them  escape  observation.  It 
Pinkerton  had  deemed  it  prudent  to  take  one 
or  more  of  their  clerks  into  his  confidence  ;  or  to 
have  ascertained  in  what  banks  the  notes  were 
to  be  deposited  for  collection,  and  then  had  an 
understanding  with  the  runners  thereof  as  to  the 
delivery  of  the  notices,  the  affair  might  have  been 


164  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

managed  very  well.  But  this  was  a  dangerous 
kind  of  business,  and  might  put  him  into  the 
power  of  men  not  to  be  trusted. 

So  time  went  on,  until  the  first  day  of  the 
month,  in  which  these  notes  came  due.  Very 
hard  had  Pinkerton  tried,  during  the  previous 
week,  to  induce  his  partner  to  go  to  New  York  on 
business.  Some  very  desirable  goods  were  to  be 
sold  at  auction  on  the  second,  third,  and  fourth 
of  the  month  ;  but  Mr.  Ackland  could  not  be  in 
duced  to  leave  his  place  at  the  desk,  where,  he 
steadily  affirmed,  he  was  of  far  more  use  than 
in  buying  goods,  a  department  in  the  business 
with  which  he  was  not  familiar. 

It  was  Pinkerton's  place  to  attend  these  sales, 
at  which  were  many  new  styles  of  goods  just 
coming  into  market.  But  he  dared  not  leave 
home.  Were  the  existence  of  these  notes, 
amounting  to  over  two  thousand  dollars,  to  be 
discovered  during  his  absence,  there  was  no  tell 
ing  how  disastrous  the  consequences  might  be. 
Failing  to  induce  Ackland  to  go,  he  plead  severe 
indisposition,  and  despatched  a  clerk  to  attend  the 
sale  in  New  York,  whose  purchases  were  far  from 
being  as  judicious  as  those  of  his  more  experienced 
principal  would  have  been. 


CHAPTER   XIV 


THE  first  day  of  the  month  came,  and  Pinker- 
ton  was  early  at  the  store.  Not  earlier,  however, 
than  his  very  punctual  associate,  who  was  gen 
erally  at  his  accounts  an  hour  before  he  came  to 
look  after  .customers. 

"  A  pretty  heavy  month  this,"  remarked  Mr. 
Ackland,  who  was  poring  over  the  bill  book. 

"  How  much  to  -pay  ?"  enquired  Pinkerton. 
His  manner  was  slightly  absent. 

"  Five  thousand  dollars,"  replied  Ackland. 

"  So  much  !"  The  announcement  of  so  large  a 
sum  startled  the  young  merchant. 

"  Yes ;  five  thousand.  We  have,  however,  a 
balance  of  over  fifteen  hundred  dollars  in  bank, 


166  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

and  a  good  many  country  merchants  are  now  ar 
riving." 

"  We  shall  go  through  easily  enough,"  said 
Pinkerton,  lightly.  He  had  quickly  recovered 
from  his  momentary  surprise. 

At  this  moment  a  teller  from  the  Union  Bank 
entered.  Both  Pinkerton  and  Ackland  knew  him, 
and  understood  that  the  little  package  of  papers 
which  he  held  in  his  hand  were  bank  notices. 
The  heart  of  the  former  almost  ceased  to  beat, 
as  the  young  man  came  forward,  so  great  was 
his  anxiety  and  suspense.  Leaving  his  partner, 
he  advanced  half  way  down  the  store  to  meet  the 
teller.  Four  notices  were  handed  to  him,  one  of 
which,  from  the  amount  it  called  for,  he  recogniz 
ed  as  referring  to  one  of  his  accommodation 
notes.  This  he  adroitly  concealed,  while  his 
back  was  yet  towards  Mr.  Ackland.  He  breath 
ed  freely  again.  So  much,  at  least,  was  safe. 
But,  the  danger  was  still  imminent.  Three  more 
notices  were  to  come  in.  In  the  first,  he  had 
been  very  fortunate ;  but  he  could  not  hope  for  a 
like  good  fortune  so  far  as  the  others  were  con 
cerned.  Nor  was  he  so  fortunate. 

"There's  something  wrong  here,"  said  his 
partner,  meeting  him  with  a  grave  face,  as  he 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  167 

came  in  from  dinner  on  that  day,  about  half  past 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Ackland  held  two 
bank  notices  in  his  hand.  In  spite  of  his  effort 
to  maintain  an  air  of  unconcern,  the  color  rose 
instantly  to  his  face. 

"  What  is  wrong  ?"  he  inquired. 

"  We  have  no  bills  out  answering  to  these," 
said  Mr.  Ackland,  presenting  the  notices  to  his 
partner. 

"  Are  you  certain  ?"  remarked  Pinkerton. 

"  Very  certain."  The  bill  book  was  opened, 
and  laid  before  Pinkerton,  who  ran  his  eyes  along 
the  various  entries. 

"  You  may  have  omitted  to  enter  them,"  was 
ventured  as  a  suggestion. 

"  No,"  said  Ackland,  promptly ;  "  I'm  too  care 
ful  an  accountant  for  that." 

"  There's  some  mistake  at  the  bank,  no  doubt. 
It's  too-late  to  see  to  it  this  afternoon  ;  but  I'll  go 
over  and  investigate  the  matter  to-morrow." 

"  I've  already  been  over,"  was  the  reply  of 
Ackland  to  this. 

"  You  have !"  The  brow  of  Pinkerton  con 
tracted,  and  a  shadow  fell  over  his  face. 

"  Yes,   and   have   seen  the  notes.     They   are 


IBS  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

drawn  to  your  order,  and  have  your  endorse 
ment." 

It  was  on  the  lips  of  Pinkerton  to  pronounce 
them  forgeries ;  but  an  instinctive  conviction  that 
this  would  only  make  matters  worse,  restrained 
him. 

"  Oh  !"  he  exclaimed,  with  animation,  his  eyes 
brightening,  and  his  face  breaking  into  a  smile  ; 
"  I  understand  all  about  it  now.  Didn't  I  tell 
you  four  months  ago,  when  thejfc  notes  for  my 
furniture  came  due,  that  in  ordsr  to  meet  them, 
without  taking  money  from  the-  business,  I  had 
drawn  two  accommodation  notes,  and  got  them 
discounted  ?" 

"  No,"  was  the  positive  answer  of  Ackland, 
who  received  this  announcement  with  compressed 
lips,  and  a  look  of  stern  displeasure. 

"  Oh !  I'm  sure  I  did,"  returned  Pinkerton, 
driven  now  into  subterfuge  -and  direct  falsehood. 
"  I  never  would  have  done  a  thing  like  that  with 
out  speaking  of  it — never." 

"  You  certainly  did  it  in  this  instance,"  said 
Ackland,  firmly ;  "  for  I  had  not  the  remotest 
suspicion  that  any  paper  of  the  firm  was  out,  not 
the  representative  of  some  business  transaction. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  169 

And  to  speak  plainly,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  1  don't 
like  the  look  of  it." 

"  You  don't !"  The  tone  of  voice,  as  well  as 
the  words  of  Ackland,  were  far  from  being  plea 
sant  to  his  partner. 

"  No,  I  do  not."  Ackland's  manner  was  not  in 
the  least  softened. 

"  What  do  you  think  it  indicates  ?"  said  Pink 
erton,  who  was  too  much  irritated  by  the  lan 
guage  of  his  partner,  to  maintain  a  prudent  self- 
control. 

"  You  ask  the  question,  and  I  will  answer  it 
plainly."  Mr.  Ackland  was  now  quite  composed, 
but  very  decided  in  his  manner.  "  It  indicates — 
nay,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  it  is — on  your  part,  a  direct 
violation  of  partnership  faith  !" 

"  Mr.  Ackland !  I  cannot  permit  this !  I  will 
not  bear  such  language  from — " 

"  Calm  yourself,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  said  Ack 
land,  who  was  perfectly  cool.  "  This  is  by  far 
too  serious  a  matter  to  be  discussed  in  a  state  of 
angry  excitement.  You  have  no  right  to  be  of 
fended  with  me  for  using  plain  language.  Tho 
act  is  a  breach  of  good  faith,  and  you  would  so 
regard  it,  were  it  mine  instead  of  yours." 

Pinkerton  saw  the  folly  of  any  thing  rash  on 
8 


170  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

his  part ,  and,  therefore,  endeavored  to  recover 
his  self-possession.  Glimpses  of  consequences — . 
ruinous  consequences — were  already  presented  to 
his  mind.  Clearly  in  the  wrong,  it  was  not  for 
him  to  play  off  the  indignant  too  broadly,  especial 
ly  with  a  man  of  the  cool,  decided  temperament 
of  his  partner,  whose  character  he  had  misappre 
hended  in  the  beginning,  in  more  than  one  parti 
cular. 

"  I  did  not  mean  it  as  a  breach  of  good  faith," 
he  said,  with  something  conciliatory  in  his  voice. 
"  I  trust  I  am  a  man  of  better  principles  than 
that,  Mr.  Ackland.  My  notes  were  out,  and  had 
to  be  lifted.  I  had  already  drawn  as  much,  on 
private  account,  from  the  business,  as  I  felt  it 
right  to  draw.  This  being  the  case,  I  tried  to 
raise  the  sum  needed  on  my  own  notes  ;  but  ut 
terly  failed  in  the  effort.  '  The  firm  notes  can  be 
discounted,'  was  answered  to  my  application ;  and 
on  the  credit  of  the  firm  I  was  at  last  compelled, 
most  reluctantly,  to  fall  back.  You  have  now 
the  whole  story.  I  wish  it  had  been  otherwise , 
but  so  it  is." 

Ackland  accepted  the  explanation,  but  looked 
very  grave  about  it,  and  was  far  from  feeling 
comfortable.  On  the  day  following,  the  fourth 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  171 

and  last  notice  found  its  way  into  his  hands.  He 
sent  immediately  to  the  bank,  and  ascertained 
that  this  note  was  similar  in  character  to  the 
other  two  of  which  he  had  spoken  to  his  partner. 
This  was  more  than  he  was  prepared  for ;  and  he 
at  once  declared  his  wish  to  have  the  firm  dis 
solved.  All  confidence  in  Pinkerton  was  gone. 
He  had  felt,  for  some  time,  dissatisfied  with  his 
extravagant  habits,  and  dashing  business  ways, 
the  latter  seeming  to  him  often  more  like  gam 
bling  than  careful  mertdiandizing.  They  might 
realize  a  splendid  fortune ;  but  he  was  afraid  of 
the  chances. 

A  little  to  Ackland's  surprise,  Pinkerton  was 
ready  to  meet  him  on  this  new  issue,  and  ar 
range  for  a  dissolution.  He  would  give  or  take  a 
certain  sum,  and  retain  or  leave  the  business. 
Ackland  had  too  little  confidence  in  himself  to 
accept  the  latter  proposition,  and  so,  wisely, 
availed  of  the  former.  It  was  mutually  agreed 
that  the  cause  of  their  separation  was  to  remain 
a  profound  secret — that  Ackland  was  to  receive 
back  the  amount  of  capital  at  first  invested,  and 
seven  thousand  dollars  as  his  share  of  the  esti 
mated  profits  which  the  concern  had  made.  The 
rapid  growth  of  the  house,  and  the  reputation 


172  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

which  Pinkerton  had  acquired  for  capacity,  en 
terprise  and  great  business  shrewdness,  made  it 
an  easy  matter  for  him  to  secure  a  new  partner 
with  four  tunes  the  capital  that  Ackland  had  pos 
sessed.  The  latter's  security  was,  therefore, 
ample;  while  Pinkerton  found  himself  elevated 
to  a  new  and  higher  position  in  business.  Both 
were  satisfied  with  the  change. 

For  a  few  weeks,  the  withdrawal  of  Ackland 
from  the  house  was  a  topic  of  remark  in  busi 
ness  circles.  Many  conjectures  as  to  the  cause 
thereof  were  made,  but  none  guessed  at  the  true 
reason.  The  new  firm  of  Pinkerton  &  Lee  was 
regarded  as  a  much  stronger  one,  because  a  larger 
amount  of  cash  capital  was  in  possession. 

Of  Mr.  Lee,  the  new  partner  so  suddenly  in 
troduced,  we  have  nothing  very  particular  to  say 
at  present.  Like  Ackland,  he  had  not  received  a 
thorough  business  education.  But  he  was  a  man 
of  better  address,  higher  ambition,  and  what  are 
sometimes  called  more  "liberal"  views,  though 
not  competent  to  take  the  place  of  either  sales 
man  or  book-keeper.  Of  his  principles,  we  cannot 
speak  with  much  confidence ;  and  yet,  so  far  in 
life,  he  had  ever  maintained  the  most  honorable 
courses  of  action.  In  all  respects,  he  was  a  man 


SPARING    TO     SPEND.  173 

whom  Pinkerton  could  manage  far  better  than 
he  had  been  able  to  manage  his  first  partner,  and 
this  because  he  had  less  discrimination  and  less 
suspicion.  Most  fortunate  did  Pinkerton  consider 
himself  in  "  getting  rid"  of  Ackland — so  he  men 
tally  expressed  It — though  he  never  felt  particu 
larly  comfortable  in  thinking  over  the  causes 
which  led  to  a  dissolution  of  the  copartnership. 


CHAPTER    XV 


MR.  and  Mrs.  Lofton  were  not  in  error  as  to 
the  feelings  and  views  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton.  She 
never  returned  the  call.  Lofton  felt  this  more 
than  did  his  wife.  Indeed,  so  far  as  the  latter 
was  concerned,  the  omission  was  a  source  of  con 
gratulation  rather  than  regret.  She  knew  enough 
of  the  family  to  which  Mrs.  Pinkerton  belonged, 
to  be  satisfied  that  a  congenial  intercourse  was 
impossible.  This  impression,  a  close  observa 
tion,  made  during  two  brief  interviews,  entirely 
confirmed.  Lofton  and  Pinkerton  met,  as  friends, 
whenever  thrown  together;  but  between  their 
families,  no  intercourse  whatever  existed.  Mar 
riage  had  opened  for  them  diverse  paths.  Hum 
ble,  unobtrusive,  scarcely  observed,  yet  steadily 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  175 

progressive,  was  the  path  along  which  one  was 
moving ;  while  that  of  the  other  mounted  rapidly 
upwards,  winding  among  dizzy  and  dangerous 
places,  and  attracting  observation  from  the  cu 
rious,  the  envious,  and  the  ill-natured.  There 
was  firm  footing  for  the  one;  while  ever  and 
anon,  the  other  felt  the  ground  to  be  slippery  and 
uncertain. 

Cool,  discriminating,  cautious  and  observant 
as  was  Archibald  Lofton,  and  well  satisfied  that 
the  foundation  of  his  friend's  business  prosperity 
was  not  well  laid,  he  could  not,  at  times,  repress 
an  uncomfortable  feeling  on  contrasting  their  re 
spective  positions  in  life — Pinkerton  at  the  head 
of  a  large  and  rapidly  growing  house,  and  he  but 
an  humble  clerk,  with  no  prospect  beyond  yet 
opening  its  attractive  vistas  for  his  eyes. 

"  This  is  a  strange  world,"  he  remarked  one 
evening  to  his  young  wife,  with  something  of  dis 
appointment  in  his  voice.  He  had  seemed  to  her 
more  thoughtful  than  usual  since  returning  at  the 
close  of  the  day,  and  less  interested  in  their  sweet 
babe,  which  had  come,  a  few  months  before,  to 
add  new  gleams  of  sunlghit  to  their  humble 
home. 


176  SPARING     TO    SPEND. 

Mrs.  Lofton  looked  at  her  husband  for  a  few 
moments,  and  then  replied — 

"  The  ways  of  Providence  are  often  strange  to 
us ;  but,  we  know  that  wise  designs  are  involved 
in  every  event,  and  that  a  beautiful  harmony  is 
often  wrought  out  of  things  strangely  involved 
and  darkly  mysterious." 

"  A  general  truth,  to  which  we  may  all  assent 
with  the  understanding.  And  yet  when  the 
darkness  lies  upon  our  own  pathway,  we  cannot 
help  feeling  anxious  in  regard  to  what  is  beyond/' 

"  Do  you  really  feel  anxious  ?  Are  you  in 
doubt  ?"  said  the  now  serious  wife,  laying  her 
soft  hand  on  the  slightly  clouded  brow  of  her 
husband.  She  had  not  at  first  detected  the  direct 
bearing  of  his  words. 

"  I  ought  not  to  feel  anxious.  I  ought  not  to 
be  in  doubt,  Ellen,"  replied  Lofton,  forcing  a 
smile,  "  and  yet,  some  things  occasionally  produce 
uncomfortable  states  of  mind." 

"  What  things,  Archie  ?"  A  shadow  stole  over 
the  young  wife's  face. 

"  I  believe  that  I  possess  equal  business  capa 
city  with  Mark  Pinker  ton ;  and  a  great  deal  more 
prudence.  And  yet  capital  seeks  him  out,  while 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  177 

«^ 

I  am  passed  by,  and  left  to  plod  along  through 
life,  a  simple  clerk." 

"  I  don't  like  to  hear  you  talk  so,  Archie,  dear,' 
said  Mrs.  Lofton,  tenderly.  "  Has  not  your 
salary  been  raised,  and  have  we  not  everything 
comfortable,  and  something  to  spare?  Oh,  don't 
murmur  at  Providence,  Archie, — don't  let  that 
bane  of  all  happiness,  dincontent  with  the  present 
lot,  come  in  to  cloud  the  sunshine  of  our  happy 
life." 

"  I  am  not  discontented,  Ellen,"  replied  Lofton, 
rallying  himself.  "  Oh  no — don't  misconceive  my 
state  of  mind.  But,  sometimes,  we  can't  help 
thinking  that  events  come  out  strangely.  Now, 
let  me  tell  you  of  something.  There's  been  a 
dissolution  of  co-partnership  between  Pinkerton 
and  Ackland." 

"  There  has !     For  what  reason  ?" 

"  That  is  not  clearly  understood.  There  is 
something  kept  back  from  the  public.  Evidently 
a  misunderstanding  has  arisen,  ending  in  this  se 
paration.  A  low  whisper,  meant  to  be  strictly 
confidential,  came  to  my  ears  to-day,  charging 
Pinkerton  with  having  used  the  name  of  the  firm 
for  his  own  private  ends.  But  I  will  not  credit 
this,  nor  repeat  it.  Keckless  as  he  is,  and  full 


L78  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

of  temptation  as  the  path  he  is  treading  may  be 
I  will  not  believe  him  so  lacking  in  worldly  wis 
dom  as  to  venture  so  soon  upon  an  expedient  of 
this  kind." 

"  Worldly  wisdom,  Archie,"  said  Mrs.  Lofton. 
"  And  is  that  all  he  possesses  to  restrain  him  from 
dishonorable  actions  ?" 

"  I  should  fear  for  him  in  strong  temptations,' 
was  thoughtfully  replied.  "  And  after  all,  there 
may  be  truth  in  the  report ;  though  another  that  I 
heard,  seems  most  likely  to  involve  the  true  rea 
son." 

"  What  was  that  ?" 

"  Ackland  is  said  to  have  been  dissatisfied  in 
consequence  of  the  large  sums  of  money  which 
Pinkerton  drew  out  for  his  personal  expenses." 

"  I  should  not  wonder  if  in  that  lay  the  cause 
of  the  dissolution,"  said  Mrs.  Lofton.  "  How 
week — how  very  foolish  !  And  so,  in  the  effort  to 
be  fashionable,  and  to  make  a  showy  appearance, 
he  has  so  soon  marred  all  his  prospects  in  life." 

"  Not  marred  them,  by  any  means,  Ellen,"  re- 
plied  her  husband.  "  But,  to  all  appearance, 
greatly  advanced  his  worldly  interests.  And 
this  is  why  I  said,  in  the  beginning,  that  it  was 
a  strange  world." 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  179 

"  Advanced  his  worldly  interests  !" 

"  Yes.  His  dissolution  with  Ackland  leads  but 
to  the  formation  of  a  new  co-partnership,  and 
under  far  beter  auspices." 

"  That  is  singular.     Who  is  the  ne\v  partner  ?" 

"  Carlton  Lee,  who  brings  into  the  business  a 
capital  of  forty  thousand  dollars,  and  credit  to 
almost  any  extent.  The  firm  is  now  Pinkerton 
and  Lee  ;  and  I  heard  a  very  shrewd  merchant  say 
this  afternoon,  that  he  shouldn't  be  surprised  if 
they  were  worth  half  a  million  of  dollars  in  ten 
years." 

It  was  but  too  plain,  from  the  tone  and  manner 
of  Lofton,  that  he  derived  no  pleasure  from  con 
templating  what  seemed  the  opening  good  for 
tune  of  his  old  friend.  It  contrasted  too  strongly 
with  his  own  humble  condition. 

"  Do  you  remember  what  Queen  Margaret  in 
the  play,  said  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Lofton,  fixing  her 
eyes  intently  on  the  face  of  her  husband. 

"  No." 

"  They  that  stand  too  high  may  chance  to  fall ; 
and  if  they  fall,  they  dash  themselves  to  pieces  ; 
or  something  of  this  import.  Archie,  I  would 
rather  have  you  remain  a  humble  clerk,  than  oc 
cupy  the  place  of  Pinkerton." 


ISO  SPARING    TO     SPEND. 

"  So  would  I,  if  I  must  occupy  it  as  he  does. 

But,  I  would  stand  far  more  securely  than  he 

stands.     1  would  not  be  ever  in  danger  of  stum. 

'bling  from  looking  at  the  stars  above  my  head." 

"  I  would  rather  have  you  remain  as  you  are, 
than  be  the  partner  of  Carlton  Lee,  with  all  his 
credit  and  capital,"  said  Mrs.  Lofton,  firmly. 

"  He  is  not  a  man  whom  I  admire,  certainly," 
was  the  reply  of  Lofton. 

"  We  believe  him  to  be  wanting  in  virtuous 
principles." 

"  True." 

"  And  would  you,  Archie,  for  the  prospect  of 
mere  wordly  advantages,  enter  into  close  business 
relations  with  such  a  person  ?  O,  no,  I  am  sure 
you  would  not.  This  seeming  good  fortune  on 
the  part  of  Mr.  Pinkerton  has,  temporarily, 
disturbed  the  even  balance  of  your  mind.  Turn 
your  thoughts  away.  Let  us  be  content  with  oui 
own  lot,  believing,  that  He  who  arranges  things  ex 
ternal,  knows  what  is  best  for  us.  Let  us  be  pa 
tient :  if  good  fortune  is  in  store  for  us,  it  will 
come  in  its  own  time ;  but,  we  must  never  forget 
that  thankfulness  for  present  blessings,  and  an 
earnest  enjoyment  of  them,  is  the  only  true  pre 
paration  for  the  enjoyment  of  good  things  in  the  fu- 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  181 

ture.  Who  do  you  think  is  happiest  now,  you  or 
Mr.  Pinkerton,  elated  as  he  must  be  with  his  good 
fortune  ?" 

4 

A  little  while  the  young  man  sat  musing. 
The  earnest,  truthful  words  of  his  wife,  were 
doing  their  appropriate  office  in  his  mind,  which 
had  only  been  temporarily  unbalanced. 

"  /  am  happiest,"  he  at  length  said,  and 
with  anr  emphasis  that  indicated  some  vivid  per 
ception  of  real  differences  in  their  relations  and 
sources  of  true  enjoyment.  "  No,  no,  Ellen  !  I 
would  not  exchange  with  him  on  any  considera 
tion." 

"  Nor  would  I  exchange  with  Mrs.  Pinkerton," 
calmly  responded  his  wife.  Then  she  added,  al 
most  in  the  same  breadth — "  Lucy  Arden  came  to 
see  me  to  day." 

"  Did  she,  indeed  ?"  The  fact  seemed  to  give 
Lofton  especial  pleasure. 

"  Yes.  She  called  in  and  sat  for  an  hour.  In 
fact,  took  off  her  bonnet  and  shawl,  and  made 
herself  quite  at  home.  She  seemed  so  pleased 
with  dear  little  Eddy,  and  nursed  him  nearly  all 
the  time.  Her  mother  gives  a  large  party  next 
week." 

"  Ah  ?" 


182  SPARING    TO    SPEWD. 

"  And  what's  more,  we're  to  be  invited." 

"  0,  no." 

"  It's  true ;  and  Lucy  says  we  must  come." 

"  A  mere  compliment ;  for  which,  no  doubt,  vre 
ought  to  feel  very  much  obliged,"  said  Lofton,  a 
little  sarcastically.  "  We  can  send  our  regrets." 

"  No,  Archie,"  said  his  wife,  firmly.  "  The 
invitation  when  it  comes  will,  I  am  sure,  be  in 
good  faith.  Mrs.  Arden  is  too  true  a  woman  to 
offer  the  hospitalities  of  her  house,  without  a 
wish  to  extend  them.  Can  you  not  say  as  much 
for  Mr.  Arden  ?" 

"  0,  yes.  He  has  ever  treated  me  with  kind 
ness  and  respectful  consideration.  To  Mrs.  Ar 
den,  I  am  a  stranger." 

"  Though  I  am  not.  When  you  do  meet  her,  you 
will  feel  that  you  have  met  a  true  woman.  She 
always  asks  after  you  with  an  interest  that  can 
not  be  mistaken.  0  yes  ;  we  will  go." 

Mr.  Arden  was  one  of  the  partners  in  the 
house  that  employed  Lofton  as  clerk  ;  the  same 
person  who  had  shown  so  kind  an  interest  in  the 
young  man,  and  through  whose  generous  appre 
ciation  of  his  wants  and  ability,  he  had  received 
an  advance  of  salary.  Before  her  marriage,  Mrs. 
Lofton  had  worked  as  dressmaker  for  Mrs.  Ar- 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  183 

den  and  her  family,  all  of  whom  were  much  at 
tached  to  her.  Lucy  was  the  oldest  daughter ;  a 
beautiful,  highly-educated,  and  highly-accom 
plished  girl,  now  in  her  twentieth  year.  Since 
the  marriage  of  Mrs.  Lofton,  the  family  con 
tinued  to  show  her  many  kindnesses ;  and  Lucy 
not  only  called  to  see  her  frequently,  but  often 
insisted  on  her  coming  round  and  spending  an  af 
ternoon  with  the  family,  on  which  occasions  she 
was  treated  by  all  with  an  affectionate  interest 
that  was  grateful  to  her  feelings. 

This  new  evidence  of  good-will  and  high  ap 
preciation  of  character,  both  in  Mrs.  Lofton  and 
her  husband,  was  the  more  gratifying  because  al 
together  unexpected.  Lightly  as  the  invitation 
was  at  first  treated  by  Lofton,  the  more  he 
thought  of  it,  the  deeper  was  the  sense  of  plea 
sure  experienced.  It  was  an  evidence  that,  at 
least  in  one  influential  quarter,  he  was  not  re 
garded  as  altogether  unworthy  of  association, 
because  poor.  It  gave  him  hope  too ;  for,  he 
saw  that  this  introduction  into  society  by  Mr. 
Arden,  was  a  public  endorsement  of  his  charac 
ter,  always  of  great  value  to  a  young  man  who 
has  nothing  but  his  ability  and  good  character  on 
which  to  build  his  worldly  prosperity. 


CHAPTER     XVI 


IN  due  time,  formal  invitations  to  the  party  at 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arden's,  were  received  by  the 
Loftons.  Lucy  Arden  called  in  to  see  Mrs. 
Lofton  on  the  very  day  the  invitations  were  left, 
to  express  personally  the  particular  desire  of  the 
family  that  they  would  attend  ;  and  also  to  offer 
her  advice  and  assistance  if  needed  by  Ellen,  in 
matters  of  dress  and  appropiate  ornament. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  wear  ?"  was  among  the 
first  and  most  natural  questions. 

Mrs.  Lofton  had  nothing  that  was  just  suitable 
for  the  occasion,  and  so  the  purchase  of  a  new 
dress  was  decided  upon.  The  color,  material  and 
style  of  trimming,  were  then  discussed  and  settled 
to  the  satisfaction  of  both  parties.  We  say  to  the 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  185 

satisfaction  of  both  ;  although  it  must  be  admitted 
that  in  the  earlier  portions  of  the  important  dis 
cussion,  Lucy  Arden  was  decidedly  in  favor  of  a 
more  showy  article  than  finally  met  their  joint 
approval. 

"  "What  jewelry  have  you,  Ellen  ?"  was  next 
asked  by  Lucy. 

"  None  of  any  particular  value,  except  a  small 
diamond  pin  that  belonged  to  my  father.  Mother 
would  never  part  with  it,"  replied  Mrs.  Lofton. 

"  Ah  well — no  matter.  I  have  enough  and  to 
spare.  Come  round  to-morrow  or  next  day  and 
we  will  select  something." 

Mrs.  Lofton  smiled  and  said  that  she  was 
grateful  for  the  kind  offer,  but  thought  it  would 
be  wiser  and  more  becoming  in  her  to  avoid  excess 
of  ornament. 

"  I  agree  with  you  there,  Ellen,  entirely,"  said 
Lucy — "  but  I  do  not  by  any  means  propose  ex 
cessive  ornament.  A  bracelet,  a  pin,  a  pair  of  neat 
ear-rings,  and  a  small  string  of  pearls  to  wreath  in 
your  hair  will  produce  just  the  right  effect,  and 
make  you  look  charming." 

The  light-hearted,  affectionate  girl,  smiled,  half 
in  earnest  and  half  in  playfulness. 

"  So  come  around,"  she  added,  "  and  we'll  find 


186  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

something  exactly  suited  to  your  style  of  dress  and 
person." 

"  I'll  come  round,  Lucy,  but  I'm  very  certain 
that  we  shall  not  agree  about  the  jewelry." 

"  Why  not  ?" 

"  Eemember,  that  I  am  only  the  wife  of  a 
clerk." 

"  Well  and  what  of  that,  pray !  Does  it  lessen 
your  personal  value  ?  I  wonder  if  the  wife  of  an 
honest  clerk  hasn't  as  good  a  right  to  dress  with 
taste  as  the  proudest  lady  in  the  land  ?  The  wife 
of  a  clerk,  indeed.  You  think  too  meanly  of  your 
self,  Ellen." 

"I  would  rather  think  too  humbly,  than  too 
proudly,  Lucy,"  replied  Mrs.  Lofton — "though 
there  is  not  much  danger  of  the  former,  for  I'm  by 
no  means  wanting  in  a  good  opinion  of  myself. 
When  I  speak  of  being  only  the  wife  of  a  clerk,  I 
refer  to  my  husband's  condition  in  life  as  not  jus 
tifying  expenditure  for  jewelry." 

"  But,  child,  I  don't  want  to  sell  you  my  orna 
ments,"  said  Lucy,  with  mock  seriousness.  "  I 
havn't  quite  come  to  that  yet !" 

"  You  don't  understand  me,"  was  the  response 
of  Mrs.  Lofton.  "  I  should  think  it  wrong  to  wear 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  187 

ornaments  of  greater  value  than  my  husband's 
income  might  warrant  me  in  purchasing." 

"  Ellen  !  Ellen  1  I'm  afraid  there's  something 
behind  all  this,"  said  Lucy.  I'm  afraid  that 
proud  little  heart  of  yours  is  lifting  itself  in 
rebellion  at  the  thought  of  borrowed  ornaments  ?" 

«  No — no,  Lucy.  With  you  I  could  feel  no 
delicacy  —  no  reluctance,  however  strong  my 
native  pride  and  independence  might  be,"  returned 
Mrs.  Lofton  with  much  earnestness  of  manner. 
"  My  objection  springs  from  a  different  considera 
tion  altogether.  I  would  on  no  account,  appear 
in  company  wearing  a  single  article  of  dress  or 
ornament  which  my  husband's  circumstances 
might  not  fully  warrant  me  in  puchasing." 

"  That's  fastidiousness,  Ellen,  and  nothing  else," 
said  Lucy.  "  Whose  business  is  it,  I  wonder  ? 
Who  has  a  right  to  ask  whether  your  husband 
can  afford  to  buy  what  you  wear  or  not  ?  The 
enquiry  would  be  impertinent ;  and  if  you  seek  to 
avoid  all  impertinent  enquiries  you'll  have  plenty 
of  fruitless  work  upon  your  hands." 

"  Still  you  fail  to  comprehend  me,  Lucy,"  was 
the  reply  of  Mrs.  Lofton.  "  To  dress,  or  to  ap 
pear  to  dress  beyond  our  means,  might  injure  my 
husband's  prospects." 


188  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  IFow  so  ?     I  cannot  comprehend  this." 

"  Has  not  many  a  man  been  ruined  by  extrava 
gant  living  ?" 

"  Certainly.  But  what  has  that  to  do  with 
wearing  a  few  trifling  ornaments  which  cost  you 
nothing  ?" 

"  We  should  avoid  the  appearance  of  evil,  for 
the  world  judges  by  appearances." 

"  True." 

"  If,  as  the  wife  of  a  clerk,  I  dress  in  a  style  not 
warranted  by  our  circumstances,  will  not  the  in 
ference  be  fair  that,  as  the  wife  of  a  young 
merchant,  I  would  be  tempted  still  to  exceed  the 
increased  ability  of  my  husband  ?" 

The  eyes  of  Lucy  drooped  to  the  floor,  and  she 
eat  musing  for  some  moments.  A  dim  light  was 
breaking  into  her  mind.  Mrs.  Lofton  continued  : 

"  My  husband,  like  most  men,  looks  forward 
to  the  time  when  he  will  be  in  better  circum 
stances.  He  has  some  business  talents,  is  prudent, 
industrious  and  self-denying.  But,  he  has  neither 
capital  nor  wealthy  friends ;  and  must,  therefore, 
wait  until  by  careful  economy  he  can  save  enough 
to  begin  the  world  in  a  small  way,  or  meet  with 
some  one  who  is  ready  to  place  capital  against 
his  knowledge  of  business." 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  189 

"  All  very  well.     I  like  that,"  said  Lucy. 

"  Now,  can  you  not  see,"  continued  Mrs. 
Lofton,  "  that  if  his  wife  goes  into  company 
dressed  in  a  style  thought  to  be  extravagant,  his 
prospects  might  be  injured  ?  Men  who  have  money 
to  invest  are  usually  very  careful  as  to  who  may 
have  the  control  of  it ;  and  while  one  might  be  very 
willing  to  avail  himself  of  the  husband's  business 
qualifications,  he  might  be  afraid  of  the  wife's  ex 
travagance." 

"  Why,  Ellen !"  exclaimed  Lucy  Arden,  a  glow 
of  pleasure  and  approval  diffusing  itself  over  her 
face — "  what  a  little  philosopher  you  are  !" 

"  Am  I  not  right  ?"  said  Mrs.  Lofton. 

"  I  believe  you  are;  perfectly  right.  Well,  isn't 
it  curious  that  such  an  idea  never  found  its  way 
into  my  thoughtless  brain  ?" 

"  Circumstance  is  a  wise  teacher,"  was  an 
swered.  "  Every  new  relation  in  life  has  its  own 
peculiar  lessons,  and  well  for  us  will  it  be  if  we 
learn  them  thoroughly." 

"  Eight  again,  Ellen ;  right  again.  I'll  tell 
father  of  this.  It  will  gratify  him,  I  know.  I've 
heard  him  talk  just  in  this  way  many  a  time ;  but 
seeing  in  his  words  no  particular  bearing,  I  never 
gave  them  a  second  thought — in  fact  did  not 


190  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

clearly  see  their  meaning.  Well,  you  shall  dress 
just  as  your  own  taste  and  judgment  may  dictate. 
Circumstance  is  a  wise  teacher,  and  you,  it  seems, 
are  conning  your  lessons  well." 

So  it  was  decided  that  Mrs.  Lofton  should  wear 
no  jewelry  but  the  small  diamond  pin,  which 
could  not  attract  observation. 

As  Lucy  Arden  had  said,  she  related  to  her 
father  all  that  passed  between  her  and  Mrs. 
Lofton.  Mr.  Arden  seemed  very  much  pleased, 
and  spoke  with  warmth  of  Lofton's  character  and 
ability  and  ended  by  saying  : 

"  A  wife  like  Ellen  is  a  fortune  to  any  man." 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


THE  evening  of  the  party  at  Mr.  Arden's  came, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lofton  prepared  themselves 
for  the  occassion — to  them,  one  of  more  than  com 
mon  interest.  Lofton,  naturally  diffident,  felt 
exceedingly  nervous.  He  had  been  little  in  com 
pany.  A  fashionable  party  he  had  never  attend 
ed  ;  and  he  felt,  painfully,  his  ignorance  of  the 
many  little  observances  of  polished  life,  without 
a  knowledge  of  which  every  one  must  suffer  re 
straint  and  embarrassment.  Mrs.  Lofton  was 
more  at  her  ease.  She  had  a  woman's  quick  per 
ception  of  social  usages,  and  had  been  enough 
with  ladies  who  moved  in  fashionable  circles,  to 
be  able  to  compare  them  with  herself.  She  did 
not  doubt  her  ability  to  act,  in  her  own  quiet  and 


192  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

unobtrusive  way,  with  all  needful  propriety.  Both 
were  a  little  surprised,  on  arriving  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  Arden,  at  the  hour  named  in  the  note  of 
invitation,  to  find  themselves  among  the  first  of 
the  guests.  But  this  unfashionable  punctuality 
was  something  in  their  favor.  They  had  time  to 
get  a  sort  of  at-home  feeling  before  the  larger 
portion  of  the  company  arrived. 

It  proved  to  be  a  large  and  brilliant  party,  at 
which  many  of  the  first  merchants  and  profes 
sional  men  of  the  city,  with  their  families,  were 
present.  Amid  the  gay  attire  and  flash  of  jew 
elry,  our  unobtrusive  little  Mrs.  Lofton  was  com 
pletely  obscured.  She  might  have  ventured  the 
bracelet  and  string  of  pearls,  without  much  dan 
ger  to  her  husband's  future  prospects.  So,  at 
least,  Lucy  Arden  thought,  as  she  more  than  once 
contrasted  the  modest  exterior  of  her  friend  and 
protege  with  the  glitter  and  display  around 
her. 

Among  the  guests  were  Pinkerton  and  hia 
wife — the  latter  dressed  in  the  most  showy  and 
extravagant  style.  Mr.  Ackland,  his  late  part 
ner,  was  present.  Also  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen, 
both  rather  formal  in  manner  tdward  their  dash 
ing  son-in-law. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  193 

Though  several  times  thrown  into  immediate 
contact  with  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  Mrs.  Lofton  did  not 
receive  the  slightest  sign  of  recognition  from  that 
lady.  Mr.  Pinkerton  bowed  to  her  coldly,  once 
or  twice,  but  offered  not  the  courtesy  of  a  single 
word. 

Time  passed  on,  and  in  conversation,  now  with 
one,  and  now  with  another  of  the  rather  staid 
and  sober  part  of  the  company,  Lofton  became 
more  and  more  at  ease,  and  in  consequence,  more 
and  more  observant  of  what  was  going  on  around 
him.  Contrasts  were  naturally  made.  The  ease 
and  self  possession  of  some  and  the  awkward 
ness  and  embarrassment  of  others,  were  noted. 
He  gathered,  too,  from  the  free  spoken  or  un 
guarded,  social  and  business  estimates  of  indivi 
duals.  Pinkerton  and  his  lady  were  several 
times  objects  of  comment  in  his  presence ;  and, 
by  the  way,  not  over-favorable  comment.  And, 
once  or  twice,  he  heard  his  own,  dear,  mo 
dest  little  wife  briefly  enquired  about,  as  a 
stranger,  in  terms  that  sent  the  blood  dancing 
with  a  pleasant  warmth  through  his  veins.  Not 
less  surprised  than  pleased  was  he  at  length,  to 
Bee  her.in  animated  conversation  with  Mr.  Auk- 
0 


194  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

land.  Who  had  introduced  them,  he  did  not 
know.  But  he  saw  that  Ackland  was  particu 
larly  interested  in  something  that  she  was  saying, 
and  that  when  she  ceased  speaking,  his  counte 
nance  expressed  a  warm  approval  of  her  senti 
ments.  He  would  have  been  more  pleased,  if  the 
following  conversation,  which  some  time  after 
wards  passed  between  Mr.  Arden  and  Mr.  Ack 
land  had  reached  his  ears. 

"  Who  is  that  lady  with  whom  I  have  been 
talking  ?"  the  latter  enquired.  "  She's  a  very 
sensible  woman." 

"  She  appears  to  be  a  stranger  to  almost  every 
one  here." 

"  So  I  think,"  replied  Mr.  Arden;  "  about, as 
sensible  as  any  here  to-night." 

"  She  is ;  and  some  to  whom  she  is  not  alto 
gether  a  stranger,  seem  rather  chary  of  acknow 
ledging  the  acquaintance." 

"Indeed!     Why  so  ?" 

"  She's  only  the  wife  of  a  clerk." 

"  Who  is  her  husband  ?"  was  the  prompt  en 
quiry  of  Mr.  Ackland. 

"  A  young  man  in  every  way  worthy  to  call  her 
his  wife." 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  195 

"  May  good  fortune  attend  them.  What  is  his 
name  ?" 

"  First,  let  me  tell  you  a  little  incident  about 
bis 'wife.  All  my  family  think  very  highly  of 
her.  They  knew  her  before  her  marriage,  and 
have  taken  great  interest  in  her  since.  My 
daughter  Lucy  told  me  a  day  or  two  ago  that  she 
wanted  her  to  wear  some  of  her  jewelry  to-night, 
as  she  had  none  of  her  own  fit  for  the  occasion. 
But  this  was  declined,  and  on  the  ground  that 
her  husband's  income  was  too  small  to  admit  of 
the  purchase  of  costly  ornaments,  and  she  would 
never,  she  said,  mar  his  prospects  by  wearing 
articles  of  dress  that  might  lead  to  the  inference 
that  he  had  an  extravagant  wife." 

"  Good  !  I  like  that,"  said  Ackland,  warmly  ; 
"  she's  made  of  the  right  stuff.  I  thought  her  a 
sensible  woman.  And  her  husband — is  he  wor 
thy  of  her?" 

"  He  is,"  said  Mr.  Arden. 

"  And  now  for  his  name  ?" 

"  Her  husband  is  one  of  our  clerks — an  old 
friend,  I  believe,  of  Mr.  Pinkerton's." 

"  A  friend  of  Pinkerton's  !"  The  brow  of  Ack-, 
land  slightly  contracted. 


196  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  Not  like  him  by  any  means,"  was  answered ; 
"  his  name  is  Lofton." 

"  Ah  !  Now  I  remember  him.  He  used  to 
come  to  our  store  occasionally.  What  kind  of  a 
young  man  is  he  ?" 

"  In  what  respect  ?" 

"  Has  he  business  capacity  ?" 

"  Yes ;  and  of  the  best  kind.  He  belongs  to 
the  genus  slow  and  sure." 

"  But,  is  he  at  the  same  time  shrewd  and  in 
telligent  ?" 

"  I  think  so." 

"  What  are  his  principles  ?" 

"  Manly  and  honorable.  I  do  not  believe  he 
would  swerve  a  hair's  breadth  from  the  straight 
line  of  rectitude,  under  any  temptation." 

"  What  are  his  personal  habits  ?  Is  he  at  all 
inclined  to  extravagance  ?" 

"  He  saved  from  his  salary  sufficient  to  buy 
plain  furniture  for  the  small  house  in  which  he 
lives ;  and  now  strictly  limits  his  expenses  to 
a  range  below  his  income." 

^  -  "  Excellent !  Excellent !  I'd  like  to  have  ano- 
>her  talk  with  you  about  him  one  of  these  days," 
said  Mr.  Ackland,  as  the  near  approach  of  some 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  197 

of  the  company  warned  them  to  change  the 
theme  of  conversation,  which  was  rather  foreign 
to  the  occasion. 

Nothing,  beyond  what  has  been  briefly  record 
ed,  occurred  during  this  evening,  that  could  in 
any  way  interest  the  reader.  So  much  only  has 
been  noted  as  forms  a  link  in  the  chain  of  circum 
stances  it  is  our  business  to  separate  from  com 
mon  events.  Perhaps,  of  all  who  made  up  the 
company,  Lofton  and  his  wife  gained  most  of 
wisdom  and  mental  strength  from  the  social  con 
tact.  They  were  introduced  into  a  new  circle, 
and  looked  down  into  the  heart  of  society  from  a 
new  elevation.  Poor  and  humble  though  they 
were,  and  scarcely  noticed  by  the  proud  or 
thoughtless  ones  with  whom  they  had  mingled  a 
few  brief  hours,  the  experience  did  not  crush,  dis 
pirit,  or  mortify  them.  A  virtuous  self-respect 
lay  at  the  foundation  of  their  characters. — 
Thoughtful,  observant,  and  discriminating,  they 
comprehended  clearly  their  own  social  relations ; 
and  was  the  value  of  the  privilege  so  kindly  ex 
tended  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arden. 

Not   the  less  pleasant,  or  home-like,   seemed-^ 
their  small  and  poorly  furnished  dwelling,  on  re 
turning  from  the  elegant  drawing-rooms  of  Mr. 


198  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

Arden.  The  contrast  brought  no  uncomfortable 
feelings ;  but,  so  far  as  each  was  influenced  by 
worldly  ambition,  a  hopeful  spirit  was  based  on 
that  self-dependent  purpose  which  is  expressed  in 
the  words—"  work  and  wait." 


CHAPTER   XVIII 


IT  was  the  morning  after  the  party  at  Mr.  Ar- 
den's.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pinkerton  were  standing 
in  one  of  their  parlors,  and  the  latter  was  speak 
ing  in  a  very  animated  tone  of  voice.  Mr.  Pink 
erton,  who  was  dressed  to  go  out,  was  drawing, 
on  his  gloves. 

"  It's  a  mean,  shabby-looking  affair,"  said  Mrs. 
Pinkerton,  with  indignant  warmth,  "  and  spoils 
the  effect  of  every  other  piece  of  furniture  in  the 
rooms.  I  never  noticed  it  so  particularly  until  I 
saw  the  Arden's  sofa,  last  evening." 

"  Theirs  is,  certainly,  very  beautiful,"  replied 
the  husband. 

"Oh,  it's  elegant!  Such  rich  carving;  and 
then  the  style  is  so  new." 


200  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  It  couldn't  have  cost  less  than  a  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,"  said  Pinkerton. 

"  I  don't  know,  I'm  sure.  But,  I'll  tell  you 
what  I  do  know." 

"  Well  ?" 

"  A  piece  of  furniture  like  that  is  Cheap  at  al 
most  any  price." 

«  How  so?" 

"  It  furnishes  of  itself." 

"  Ah  ?" 

"  Yes — it  gives  an  air  of  elegance  to  every 
thing  in  a  room." 

"  There's  something  in  that,"  remarked  the 
young  man,  falling  in  with  his  wife's  humor, 
and  seeing  the  matter  very  much  in  the  light  she 
wished  him  to  view  it. 

"  I  want  just  such  a  sofa,"  was  the  next  decla 
ration. 

"  You  do !"  There  was  real  or  affected  sur 
prise  in  the  voice  of  Pinkerton. 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  was  the  firm  answer. 

"  Suppose  I  were  to  say  that  I  could  not  afford 
it?" 

"  Well,  suppose  you  were  ?" 

"  I  want  you  to  answer  the  question,  Flora." 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  201 

"  Can't  afford  it !  That  is  a  very  convenient 
excuse  among  gentlemen,  when  they  don't  wish 
to  gratify  their  wives.  I've  heard  it  at  home  ever 
since  I  can  remember,  and  am  free  to  say  that  I 
perceive  little  force  in  the  objection.  So,  don't 
think  to  fall  back  on  that  pretence  with  me." 

This  was  said  half-lightly,  yet  with  sufficient 
seriousness  to  make  it  apparent  that  the  young 
wife  was  fully  in  earnest. 

"  Then,  as  I  understand  it,"  said  Pinkerton, 
good-naturedly,  "  you  are  bent  on  having  a  new 
sofa  ?" 

"  0  no — I'm  bent  on  no  such  thing,  unless  you 
are  entirely  willing,  Mark.  I  think  we  ought  to 
replace  this  old-fashioned  affair,  that  really  dis 
graces  our  parlors,  with  something  respectable. 
I  wonder  that  we  ever  could  have  selected  so 
mean  a  pattern.  "What  did  it  cost  ?" 

"  Seventy  dollars,"  replied  the  husband. 

"  Good  enough  for  the  price,  I  suppose  ;  but 
it  is  a  poor  affair  alongside  of  Mrs.  Acden's." 

"  Who  made  theirs  ?" 

"  Hiss  &  Austin — so  Lucy  Arden  told  me." 

"  Well,  suppose  you  go  there  and  order  one  of 
the  same  pattern." 

"  If  you  think  you  can  afford   it,"   said  Mrs. 


202  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

Pinkerton,  making  a  faint  show  of  prudence.  "I 
wouldn't  like  to  do  any  thing  that  might  be 
deemed  extravagant." 

"  I  ought  to  be  able  to  afford  the  additional 
expense  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,"  replied 
her  husband,  a  little  proudly.  "  The  lum  is  not 
so  very  heavy.  0  yes — go  and  order  the  sofa.  I 
agree  with  you,  that  the  one  we  now  have  dis 
graces  the  parlor.  The  sooner  it  is  banished  to 
the  dining-room,  or  to  one  of  the  chambers,  the 
better." 

Mr.  Pinkerton  went  to  his  store,  and,  during 
the  morning,  his  wife  called  at  Hiss  &  Austin's, 
and  ordered  a  new  sofa,  precisely  like  Mrs.  Ar- 
den's. 

On  the  same  day,  Mr.  Ackland  called  at  the 
store  in  which  Archibald  Lofton  was  employed  as 
clerk,  and  held  with  Mr.  Arden  a  long  conversa 
tion.  At  its  close,  Mr.  Arden  sent  for  Lofton, 
and  formally  introduced  him  to  Ackland. 

"  What  are  your  views  in  regard  to  the  future  ?" 
was  enquired  of  Lofton,  after  a  few  general  re 
marks  on  both  sides. 

"In  what  respect  ?"  asked  the  young  man. 

"  Touching  business.  Have  you  any  settled 
plans  ?" 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  203 

"  None  sufficiently  definite  to  be  of  any  value," 
said  Lofton. 

"  Do  you  expect  to  go  into  business  for  your 
self?"  enquired  Ackland. 

"  I  certainly  look  to  that  in  the  future." 

"  Do  you  feel  confidence  in  your  present  ability 
to  conduct  a  business  ?" 

"We  are  all  apt  to  have  a  good  opinion  of  our 
selves,"  replied  Lofton,  smiling.  "  Too  good  an 
opinion,  often.  I  am  not  over-modest,  I  believe, 
in  this  respect." 

"  Confidence  in  our  own  ability,"  remarked 
Mr.  Arden,  "  is  an  element  of  success." 

"  And  a  very  essential  element,"  said  Mr.  Ack 
land. 

"  True ;  but  unless  that  confidence  is  well 
based,  it  is  rather  a  dangerous  quality.  It  has, 
perhaps,  led  to  as  many  business  disasters  as  any 
other  cause." 

"  Always  excepting  one,  Mr.  Lofton,"  said 
Ackland,  with  some  feeling. 

"  What  is  that  ?" 

"  Extravagant  personal  expenditure." 

"  You  may  be  right  there.  This  living  beyond 
the  present  means  is  a  serious  defect,"  said  Lof 
ton.  "  It  is  one,  however,  into  which  I  believe 


201  SPARING    TO    SPEXD. 

I  will  never  fall.  I  began  life,  resolved  to  spend 
less  than  rny  income,  no  matter  how  small  that 
might  be.  Thus  far,  I  have  kept  to  my  good  re 
solution,  and  do  not  think  I  can  be  tempted  to 
abandon  it  in  the  future." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  speak  thus,  Mr.  Lof 
ton.  Indeed,  I  had  already  gathered  as  much 
from  Mr.  Arden."  Then,  after  a  slight  pause, 
Ackland  continued — 

"  You  are  aware  that  a  recent  dissolution  of 
co-partnership  took  place  between  myself  and  Mr. 
Pinkerton. 

Lofton  bowed,  and  the  other  went  on — 

"  Of  the  causes  which  led  to  this  dissolution,  I 
need  not  speak.  Enough,  for  the  present,  that  I 
wished  it  to  take  place.  I  am  now  out  of  busi 
ness,  yet  desirous  of  beginning  again.  I  have  a 
capital  of  over  fifteen  thousand  dollars  to  invest, 
and  this,  you  know,  will  give  liberal  credit  facili 
ties.  In  a  word,  I  have  been  led  to  believe  that 
you  possess  the  qualities  and  qualifications  I  seek 
in  a  business  partner.  Are  you  open  to  a  propo 
sition  ?" 

"  I  am,"  was  the  unhesitating  answer. 

"  Very  well.  So  far  we  understand  each  other. 
At  an  early  day  I  should  like  to  have  an  inter- 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  205 

view,  for  the  purpose  of  talking  this  matter  over 
a  little  more  particularly.  When  and  where 
shall  we  meet  ?" 

"  I  am  at  leisure  every  evening,"  said  Lofton. 

"  Where  do  you  live  ?" 

The  number  of  his  house  was  given  by  Lofton. 

"Will  you  be  at  home  to-night?" 

"Yes." 

"  Very  well.  If  agreeable,  I  will  call  around 
about  eight  o'clock." 

"  I  shall  be  very  happy  to  see  you,"  replied 
Lofton.. 

"  And,  by  the  way,"  said  Mr.  Ackland,  speak 
ing  with  animation,  "  I  had  the  pleasure  of  half- 
an-hour's  conversation  with  Mrs.  Lofton  last 
evening,  at  Mr.  Arden's.  Give  her  my  compli 
ments,  if  you  please,  and  say  that  I  trust  soon  to 
have  a  better  acquaintance." 

"You  will  find  us  living  in  a  humble  way," 
remarked  Lofton,  touched  for  an  instant  with  a 
slight  feeling  of  mortification,  as  there  came  to 
his  mind  a  vivid  contrast  between  the  elegant 
residence  of  Mr.  Arden,  at  which  Mr.  Ackland 
had  met  his  wife,  and  his  own  poor  abode.  The 
feeling,  however,  was  but  momentary.  It  passed 
away,  as  Mr.  Ackland  said — 


206  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

"  I  should  hardly  expect  to  find  you  in  a  palace 
if,  as  you  say,  you  are  living  at  a  range  of  expen 
diture  below  your  income.  One  thing,  however, 
1  do  expect  to  find — a  cheerful,  happy  home." 

"  That  chiefest  of  all  earthly  blessings  I  do 
possess,"  was  the  proud,  yet  feeling  answer. 

The  interview  here  closed.  Lofton  returned  to 
his  duties  in  the  store,  and  Mr.  Ackland  retired, 
much  pleased  with  the  individual  to  whom  he  had 
proposed  a  business  connection. 

Never  had  the  hours  seemed  to  pass  so  slowly 
to  our  young  friend  as  they  did  from  the  time 
Ackland  left  the  store,  until  the  period  arrived 
when  he  could  return  home  and  tell  Ellen  of  his 
promised  good  fortune.  He  did  not  break  the 
matter  to  her  suddenly,  but  she  saw,  from  his 
manner,  that  something  unusual  was  on  his  mind. 
While  at  the  tea-table,  he  remarked,  after  sit 
ting  silent  for  some  moments — 

"  I  said  a  few  evenings  ago,  Ellen,  that  this 
was  a  strange  world,  did  I  not  ?" 

«  Yes — and  I  have  wondered  many  times  since 
at  the  state  of  mind  you  then  were  in.  You  did 
not  seem  like  yourself.  The  demon  of  distrust 
had  entered  your  heart." 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  207 

"It  is  a  strange  world,  Ellen,"  said  the  young 
man,  fixing  his  eyes  intently  on  her  face,  while  a 
new  light  shone  in  his  countenance.  "  What  if  I 
were  to  tell  you  that  Mr.  Ackland  is  going  to  call 
here  this  evening." 

"  Mr.  Ackland !  Are  you  in  earnest,  Archie  ?" 
Mrs.  Lofton  did  look  surprised. 

"  I  am,  dear.  He  is  coming  to  see  me  this 
very  evening,  and  to  talk  about  business." 

"  "What  about  business,  Archie  ?"  A  sudden 
undefined  hope  was  flushing  the  young  wife's 
face  and  making  humid  her  eyes. 

"  About  commencing  business  again  with  your 
husband  as  his  partner." 

"  Oh,  Archie  !  Are  you  really  in  earnest  ?" 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Lofton,  clasping  her  hands  to 
gether. 

"  Indeed,  I  am,  dear  Ellen.  He  came  to  our 
store  to-day,  and  had  a  long  talk  with  Mr.  Ar- 
den.  Then  I  was  called  into  the  counting-room 
and  introduced  to  him ;  and  then,  after  a  gqod  deal 
of  talk,  he  said  that  he  was  in  search  of  a  busi 
ness  partner,  and  wished  to  know  if  I  was  open 
for  a  proposition.  I  said  that  I  was.  He  wanted 
an  early  interview  on  the  subject ;  and  finally 


208  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

said  that,  if  agreeable,  he  would  call  iu  to  see  me 
this  evening." 

"  Oh,  Archie !  I  am  so  glad,  for  your  sake  !" 
Tears  were  already  glistening  on  the  cheeks  of 
Mrs.  Lofton. 

"And  I'll  tell  you  something  more  that  he 
said." 

«  What  was  it  ?" 

"  He  sent  his  compliments  to  you." 

"  To  me  !" 

"Yes.  He  said — "  I  had  the  pleasure  of  half- 
an-hour's  conversation  with  Mrs.  Lofton  last 
evening  at  Mr.  Arden's.  Give  her  my  compli 
ments,  and  say  that  I  hope  soon  for  a  better  ac 
quaintance." 

"  Now,  Archie !     Did  he  indeed  say  that  ?" 

"  His  very  words." 

"  I  hardly  know  what  to  think,"  said  Mrs. 
Lofton,  after  the  first  surprise  occasioned  by  the 
announcement  had  passed  away.  "  This  is  so 
much  better  fortune  than  I  had  looked  for,  that 
my  mind  is  half  bewildered.  You  are  sure  that 
he  was  altogether  in  earnest." 

"  Oh,  certainly.  This  is  not  a  matter  in  which 
a  man  like  him  would  trifle  or  commit  himself 


SPARING    TO     SPEND.  20'J 

without  due  reflection.  Eemember,  that  what  tie 
said  to  me  was  after  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Arden  and  spoken  in  his  presence." 

"  Yes — yes — I  see.  Well  I  am  so  glad  for  your 
sake,  Archie." 

"  And  I  am  glad  more  for  your  sake  than 
my  own ;  so  we  are  even  in  that  respect.  But 
isn't  it  singular?  He  was  in  good  business 
with  Pinkerton,  yet  retired  therefrom,  taking 
with  him  l»is  capital,  and  now  comes  seeking  a 
business  connexion  with  me.  I  can  scarcely  un 
derstand  it." 

"  It  is  no  mystery  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Lofton, 
proudly.  "  He  was  afraid  of  Pinkerton,  but  knows 
that  in  my  excellent  husband  he  can  repose  entire 
confidence." 

Thus  they  talked  together,  and  hopefully 
awaited  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Ackland.  How  sud 
denly  they  had  turned  a  sharp  angle  of  the  high 
mountain  which  towered  above  their  lowly  path 
way  ;  and  now  they  had  a  broader  vision — now 
they  could  see  the  way  rising  gradually  before 
them  ;  now  hope  in  the  future  was  basing  itself  on 
a  reliable  foundation.  They  had  waited  patiently 
and  in  humble  self-denial  for  a  time  like  this ;  yet 


210  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

its  advent  was  a  surprise,  and  thankfully  and 
gratefully  they  acknowledged  the  coming  good 
fortune. 


CHAPTER     XIX. 


"  OH,  Ellen !"  exclaimed  Lucy  Arden,  as  she 
came  bounding  in  upon  Mrs.  Lofton  on  the  next 
morning,  her  face  all  a-glow,  and  her  bright  eyes 
dancing  with  pleasure — "  I've  got  the  nicest  bit  of 
news  to  tell  you !  What  do  you  think  ?" 

"  I  think  you've  lost  one  of  your  ear-rings,' 
said  Mrs.  Lofton,  smiling. 

Lucy  clapped  her  hands  to  her  ears. 

"  I  declare."  A  moment  she  paused  thought 
fully.  "  Now  I  remember  !  I  only  put  one  of 
them  in,  I  was  in  such  eager  haste  to  get  off  to 
see  you.  Ah,  but  Ellen,  I've  got  some  news  that 
will  make  that  dear  little  heart  of  yours  leap  again. 
Do  you  know  that  your  husband  is  going  intc 
business  with'  Mr.  Ackland  ?" 


212  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  I  ought  to  know  something  about  it."  replied 
Mrs.  Lofton,  with,  to  Lucy,  provoking  calmness. 
"  He  was  here  last  night." 

"  Indeed  !  Oh  !  then  mine  is  only  'Piper's  news,' 
though  I  almost  broke  my  neck,  I  was  in  such 
haste  to  bring  it." 

"  What  you  say,  Lucy,  is  none  the  less  welcome 
to  my  ears,"  replied  Mrs.  Lofton  tenderly,  "  and 
it  brings  me  a  double  pleasure.  It  not  only  con 
firms  the  promise  of  last  evening :  but  your  earnest 
and  loving  interest  in  my  welfare  touches  my  heart 
with  a  feeling  which  I  have  no  words  to  express. 
Lucy,  you  and  yours  have  been  fast  friends  to 
me  from  the  beginning.  I  can  never  forget  it — 
never." 

"  And  so  Mr.  Ackland  was  to  see  you  last  eve 
ning  ?"  said  Lucy,  regaining  her  slightly  disturbed 
equanimity. 

"  Yes.  He  called  to  see  Archie,  and  sat  and 
talked  for  two  hours." 

"  And  it's  all  arranged,  I  suppose,  that  your 
husband  is  to  go  into  business  with  him." 

UI  can't  exactly  say  that,  Lucy.  An  arrange 
ment  such  as  is  proposed  requires  deliberation  on 
both  sides.  Many  preliminaries  were  talked  over, 
and  they  are  to  have  another  interview  in  a  day 


{TAKING    TO    SPENT.  21" 

or  two.  Every  thing  now  looks  favorable,  cer 
tainly." 

"  It  will  all  rest  with  your  husband,  I  am  sure," 
said  Lucy.  "  He  has  only  to  say  the  word.  Pa 
told  us  that  Mr.  Ackland  was  perfectly  satisfied, 
and  ready  to  offer  most  tempting  inducements. 
And  now  Ellen,  dear,  I've  got  one  piece  of  news 
for  you,  that  will  be  news.  Do  you  know  that 
your  husband  is  indebted  to  you  for  this  good 
fortune?" 

"  To  me !"  Well  might  the  young  wife  look 
surprised.  "  To  me,  Lucy?  You  are  in  sport." 

"  Indeed,  then,  and  I  am  not,  my  dear.  It's 
true,  every  word  of  it.  You  remember  the  jew 
elry  I  wanted  you  to  wear  ?" 

«  Yes." 

"  And  the  reason  you  gave  for  not  accepting 
my  offer  ?" 

"  0  yes." 

"  You  are  right,  Ellen  :  and  I  am  so  glad  that 
your  prudence  and  good  sense  were  good  against 
the  temptation  I  laid  in  your  way.  I  told  Pa 
all  about  it,  and  he  was  so  delighted.  You  don't 
know  what  complimentary  things  he  said  of  you  ! 
Well,  you  see,  Mr.  Ackland  was  mightily  pleased 
with  you  at  the  pnrty,  and  enquired  of  Pa  who 


214  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

you  were ;  and  then  Pa  told  him  all  about  the 
jewelry  affair.  This  hit  Mr.  Ackland's  fancy. 
He  asked  a  great  many  questions  about  your 
husband,  and  said  he  would  like  to  know  him. 
And  so  you  see  what  has  come  out  of  apparently 
the  most  unimportant  thing  in  the  world." 

It  was  some  time  before  Mrs.  Lofton  could 
make  any  reply.  A  declaration  so  unexpected 
quite  overpowered  her. 

"  And  is  this  really  all  so,  Lucy  ?"  she  asked, 
in  a  voice  that  it  required  her  utmost  effort  to 
keep  steady. 

"  Every  word  of  it,  I  declare  !"  was  the  earnest 
ly  spoken  reply.  "  Oh  !  I  am  so  glad  !  I  couldn't 
rest  until  I  ran  over  to  tell  you  all  about  it.  Who 
could  have  believed  that  so  much  hung  on  an 
unimportant  trifle  like  this?  "We'll  soon  have 
you  out  of  this  poor  little  place,  Ellen.  There's 
a  better  time  a-coming." 

"  Not  so  soon,  perhaps,  as  you  imagine,"  said 
Mrs.  Lofton,  smiling. 

"  And  why  not,  pray  ?"  asked  Lucy. 

"  For  the  same  reason  that  kept  me  from  wear 
ing  jewelry  that  I  could  not  afford  to  buy,"  an 
swered  Mrs.  Lofton.  "  We  shall  remain  here, 
depend  upon  it,  Lucy,  for  a  good  while  after  my 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  2lD 

husband  goes  into  business  with  Mr.  Ackland, 
should  the  now-anticipated  change  take  place. 
All  our  household  arrangements  will  be  quite  as 
comfortable  then,  as  now.  I  will  never,  as  I  have 
said  before,  mar  my  husband's  prospects  in  life 
by  extravagant  living.  Business  will  only  be  an 
experiment,  and  we  shall  await  results,  before 
going  up  higher.  It  is  much  easier  to  remain  in 
an  humble  position,  than  be  forced  back  into  it 
again,  after  having  enjoyed  a  better  style  of 
living,  and  the  comforts  and  luxuries  attendant 
thereon." 

"  But  you  will  not  be  forced  back,  Ellen  :  Mr. 
Ackland  has  capital,  and  the  new  business  will 
be  sure  to  succeed." 

"  Not  if  its  first  profits  are  wasted  in  extrava 
gant  living." 

"  O  dear  !  you  are  the  most  provoking  crea 
ture,"  exclaimed  Lucy  Arden,  good-humoredly. 
"  Extravagant  living !  This  is  extravagant, 
verily  !"  And  she  olanced  around  the  plainly- 
furnished  room  in  which  they  were  sitting,  in 
mock  contempt. 

"  Everything  we  have  is  paid  for,  and  that  ia 
something,"  answered  Mrs.  Lofton. 

"  Yes,  it  is  something,"  was  the  emphatic  re- 


216  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

ply  of  Lucy.  "  And  a  great  deal,  Ellen.  Well, 
T  suppose  you  are  right  after  all ;  but  I  do  want 
to  see  you  living  in  better  style.  There  were 
some  people  at  our  party  who  didn't  treat  you 
just  to  my  liking.  They  hold  their  heads  won 
derfully  high ;  but  their  personal  worth  is  very 
small.  I  want  to  see  you  take  your  place  beside 
— nay,  above  them." 

"  A  poor  ambition  that,  Lucy.  No — no.  I 
wish  to  enter  into  no  social  rivalry ;  nor  would  I, 
were  we  worth  hundreds  of  thousands.  If  my 
husband  is  successful  in  business,  our  external 
condition  will  gradually  improve.  And  this  im 
provement  will  not  be  for  the  sake  of  gaining  a 
position,  but  because  increased  means  will  give 
us  the  ability  to  secure  more  of  the  comforts  and 
elegancies  of  life.  But  this  is  looking  ahead  too 
far.  We  have  a  long  time  to  work  and  wait  yet, 
and  we  are  prepared  to  do  so,  hopeful  and  pa 
tiently.  So,  my  kind,  good  friend,  don't  come 
here,  putting  extravagant  notions  into  my  head. 
See  the  harm  you  came  near  doing,  when  you 
tried  this  before." 

"  What  harm,  pray  ?"  enquired  Lucy. 

"  Have  you  so  soon  forgotten  the  bracelet  and 
string  of  pearls  ?" 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  217 

"  True  enough  !  And  here  I  am,  playing  the 
part  of  tempter  again.  I  think  I'd  better  not 
come  to  see  you  any  more.  I'll  be  sure  to  lead 
you  into  some  mischief  in  the  end." 

"  No  fear  of  that,  Lucy.  I  shall  be  proof 
against  all  your  enticements,"  was  the  quick  an 
swer  of  the  prudect  young  \vifo. 


ID 


CHAPTER     XX 


ISN'T  it  beautiful  ?"  said  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  as  she 
drew  her  husband  into  the  parlor  to  look  at  the 
new  sofa,  which  had  been  sent  home  during  the 
morning. 

"  A  very  elegant  piece  of  furniture  indeed," 
was  answered. 

"  If  anything,  it  is  handsomer  than  Mrs.  Ar- 
den's.  See  how  exquisitely  the  carving  is  done." 

Mr.  Pinkerton  looked  at  the  sofa — admired  it — 
sat  upon  it — talked  about  it.  But  in  one  thing 
he  was  disappointed.  It  did  not  improve  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  other  articles  of  furniture  in  the 
room,  as  he  had  weakly  nattered  himself  would 
be  the  case.  Perhaps,  he  would  never  have 
imagined  such  an  effect,  if  Mrs.  Pinkerton  had  not 


,       SPARING    TO   SPEND.  219 

urged  it  as  a  reason  why  the  sofa  should  be  pur 
chased.  Pier-tables  and  chairs,  looked,  in  hig 
eyes,  sadly  out  of  countenance,  ^ut  he  said 
nothing  on  that  head.  Flora  would  make  the 
discovery,  he  doubted  not,  in  her  own  good  time. 
And  she  did  make  it.  Ere  the  thought  had  passed 
from  him,  she  said,  going  up  to  the  pier-table, 
and  laying  her  hand  upon  it,  "  This  has  rather  a 
dingy  look." 

Minutely  was  it  now  examined.  The  result 
proved  far  from  satisfactory.  Flora  shook  her 
head,  and  remarked  in  rather  a  dissatisfied  tone 
of  voice — 

"  It  never  was  a  very  creditable  piece  of  work. 
The  fact  is,  good  cabinet  furniture  is  not  to  be 
procured  except  at  a  good  price.  Just  look  at 
the  difference  between  this  and  the  sofa." 

A  careful  inspection  of  the  two  articles  of  fur 
niture  showed  a  vast  superiority  in  favor  of  the 
sofa. 

"I  could  hardly  have  believed  it,"  said  Pin- 
kerton. 

"  Nor  I,"  said  his  wife. 

Then  there  was  a  pause,  followed  by  a  still 
further  observation  of  the  difference  that  existed 


220  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

between  the  two  articles  of  furniture.  Pinker- 
ton  shook  his  head,  and  his  wife  looked  grave. 

"  The  table  is  quite  sharaed  by  the  sofa ;  isn't 
it  ?"  remarked  the  latter. 

"  It  certainly  is,"  replied  the  former, 

"  I  never  liked  the  white  marble  slab.  Black 
is  so  much  richer,"  said  Flora. 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?"  There  was  a  slight  de 
gree  of  coldness  in  the  manner  of " Pinkerton. 
He  saw  what  was  coming — and  he  was  not  fully 
prepared  for  it. 

"  Oh,  a  great  deal  richer !"  was  replied.  "Mrs. 
Arden's  pier  and  centre  tables  were  all  of  black 
Italian  marble,  and  polished  to  a  degree  that 
makes  their  surface  like  mirrors.  Didn't  you 
notice  them  ?" 

«  I  did  not." 

"  I  wish  you  had.  They  are  exquisite.  Ours 
are  no  comparison  to  them." 

And  so  the  conversation  progressed,  ending,  as 
Pinkerton  saw,  from  the  first,  that  it  must  end. 

During  the  day,  another  visit  was  made  by 
Mrs.  Pinkerton  to  the  cabinet  warerooms  of  Hiss 
&  Austin,  and  the  object  of  her  visit  was  fully 
accomplished.  A  pair  of  pier  tables  were  order 
ed  to  take  the  place  of  the  single  one  their  taste 


SPARING;  TO  SPEND. 

had  condemned — these  cost  one  hundred  dollars 
each.  Strongly  was  she  tempted  to  purchase  an 
elegant  centre-table,  the  price  of  which  was  se 
venty-five  dollars.  She  deemed  it  most  politic, 
however,  to  consult  her  husband.  Chairs  at 
seven,  eight  and  nine  dollars  each,  were  examin 
ed,  and  mentally  contrasted  with  the  very  plain 
mahogany  ones  that  graced  her  parlors,  much  to 

• 

the  discredit  of  the  latter — at  least  in  the  estima 
tion  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton. 

The  introduction  of  the' pier-tables  was  like 
pouring  rays  of  strong  light  upon  every  other  ar 
ticle  of  furniture  the  parlors  contained.  Not  the 
slightest  blemish  or  defect  but  what  was  now  dis 
tinctly  visible,  as  well  to  the  eyes -of  the  ambi 
tious  husband  as  his  wife. 

"  Flora,"  said  the  former,  after  having  admired 
the  tables  for  some  time — "  these  chairs  will  never 
do."  And  he  took  one  of  them  in  his  hand,  ex 
amined  it  for  a  moment,  and  then  pushed  it  from 
him,  with  a  slight  expression  of  contempt. 

"  I  wish  you  could  see  a  set  of  chairs  that  I 
was  looking  at  yesterday." 

11  Where  ?"  he  enquired. 

"At  Hiss  &  Austin's." 

"  Were  they  handsome  ?" 


222  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  You  would  think  so." 

«  What  do  they  ask  for  them  ?" 

"  Eight  dollars  a-piece." 

Pinkerton  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  It's  a  high  price,  I  know.  But,  indeed,  they 
are  beautiful.  They  would  make  these  rooms 
look  charming." 

"  Would  it  require  a  dozen  ?" 

"  Oh  no,"  quickly  replied  Mrs.  .Pinkerton. 
"  Eight  is  a  number  altogether  sufficient." 

"  Eight.  Eight  times  eight  are  sixty-four. 
Not  ruinous,  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Pinkerton, 
speaking  half  to  himself. 

"  And  just  to  think  of  the  appearance,"  sug 
gested  his  fair  lady.  "  Oh,  but  wouldn't  the  effect 
of  everything  be  just  perfect?  Sofa,  pier-tables 
and  chairs,  all  in  the  same  style,  and  handsome 
enough  for  a  palace  !  You'll  let  me  order  them, 
won't  you,  dear  ?" 

"  If  you  think  you  must  have  them,  I  suppose 
I  can  only  say  yes,"  was  the  husband's  weak  re 
ply,  made  with  some  rather  uncomfortable  images 
before  his  mind.  Experience  made  him  but  too 
distinctly  conscious  that  it  did  not  take  a  very 
long  time  for  the  period  of  six  months  to  be  ac 
complished;  and  all  these  indulgences — or,  rather 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  223 

Bay,  extravagances — would  have  to  be  paid  for  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time. 

Another  visit  to  the  cabinet-makers  was  prompt 
ly  made.  It  did  not  take  much  urging  on  the 
part  of  these  gentlemen  to  induce  Mrs.  Pinkerton 
to  order  a  dozen  chairs  instead  of  eight.  So  the 
cost  was  ninety-six  dollars  instead  of  sixty-four. 

No  one  will  be  surprised  to  hear  that  the  neat 
Brussels  carpet,  which  many  of  the  friends  of  Mrs. 
Pinkerton  had  over  and  over  again  admired,  be 
came  suddenly  quite  changed  in  appearance.  The 
lady's  first  impression  was,  that  being  a  poor  ar-. 
tide,  it  must  have  faded ;  and  she  said  so  to  her 
husband.  He  examined  it,  and  thought  her  in 
error;  and  yet  he  admitted,  that  from  some  cause, 
its  beauty  had  diminished.  Next  the  material 
was  closely  scanned,  which  .resulted  in  the  dis 
covery  that  it  was  coarse.  Gradually  from  this 
time,  the  favorite  lost  its  position.  Other  carpets 
were  looked  at — comparisons  were  made — and, 
finally,  it  was  unanimously  voted  that  the  old 
friend  was  a  very  common-place  affair,  altogether 
out  of  style,  and  not  fit  company  for  the  newly 
arrived  denizens  of  the  parlor.  Naturally  enough, 
in  the  course  of  events,  a  new  carpet  took  the 
place  of  the  old  one ;  all  that  Pinkerton  was  re- 


224  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

quired  to  do  in  the  matter,  being  simply  to  sign 
his  name  to  a  note  of  two  hundred  dollars,  payable 
six  months  after  date.  Very  considerately,  his 
wife  took  fell  the  trouble  of  purchase,  and  such 
matters,  upon  herself. 

Still,  the  parlor  arrangements  were  not  perfect. 
There  was  a  want  of  harmony  somewhere.  Nei 
ther  Mr.  nor  Mrs.  Pinkerton  were  satisfied  with 
the  effect  produced.  The  mirrors  were  not  on 
ly  too  small,  but  plain,  when  compared  with 
chairs,  sofa,  pier-tables  and  carpet.  This  dis 
covery  was  in  due  time  made  :  and  it  explained 
the  want  of  harmony.  So  another  council  was 
called,  and  the  handsome  mantel -glasses  voted 
out  as  unworthy.  Their  places  were  supplied  by 
a  pair  of  mirrors,  "  cheap  at  two  hundred  and  forty 
dollars,"  for  which  another  note  was  given  by  Mr. 
Mark  Pinkerton. 

Yet  for  all  these  changes,  made  at  so  heavy  a 
cost — for  all  this  yielding  to  the  demands  of  taste 
and  love  of  display — the  wife  of  our  young  mer 
chant  was  less  satisfied  with  the  style  of  her  home- 
surroundings  than  before  the  purchase  of  their 
new  sofa.  Not  yet  were  the  parlors  arrayed  to 
her  satisfaction.  Incongruities  still  existed,  the 
most  prominent  of  which  were  the  window  dra- 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  225 

peries.  These  were  of  red  damask  moreen,  and 
the  cost,  for  four  windows,  had  been  a  hundred 
dollars.  The  quality  was  good,  and  to  any  eye, 
not  obscured  as  Mrs.  Pinkerton's  was  now  ob 
scured,  really  handsome.  But  some  of  her  fashion-* 
able  friends  rejoiced  in  the  possession  of  satin  da 
mask  curtains;  and  they  were  so  much  richer 
and  more  elegant,  in  her  estimation,  than  mo 
reen,  that  all  pleasure  in  her  parlor  drapery  was 
gone. 

Nothing  now  would  do  but  satin  damask  cur 
tains.  A  little  while  her  husband  resisted  this 
new  encroachment  on  his  purse — or  rather  on 
his  credit — then  yielded  with  as  good  a  grace  as 
possible,  consoling  himself  with  the  reflection  that 
the  new  firnvwas  doing  already  a  heavy  business, 
and  that  he  could,  therefore,  well  afford  to  pay 
three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  a  set  of  satin 
damask  window  curtains. 

"Was  this  the  end  ?  Not  by  any  means.  Al 
ready  the  new  sofa  had  cost  over  thirteen  hundred 
dollars ;  and  there  was  no  telling  where  the  outlay 
began  in  its  purchase  would  stop.  At  last,  the 
parlors  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton  were  attired  in  a 
style  that  nearly  met  her  approbation.  A  few 
things  were  lacking,  it  is  true.  She  coveted  some 


226  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

choice  paintings,  a  piece  or  two  of  statuary  and 
such  like  matters,  and  finally  became  quite  un 
happy,  because  one  of  her  friends  received,  as  a 
birth  day  present,  a  costly  French  time-piece,  to 
grace  one  of  her  pier-tables,  while  Mr.  Pinkerton, 
to  whom  she  hinted  the  fact  that  a  like  remem 
brancer  would  be  particularly  grateful,  replied  a 
little  pettishly,  and  it  must  be  owned,  rather 
roughly,  that  she  was  like  the  horse-leech's  daugh 
ter,  for  ever  crying  to  him — "  give — give." 

Instantly  Mrs.  Pinkerton  was  drowned  in  tears. 
The  cruel  man  had  well  nigh  broken  her  heart. 
"What  now  was  to  be  done  ?  A  wife  in  tears  can 
overcome  any  man  whose  heart  is  not  like  iron  or 
stone.  Mr.  Pinkerton  apologized — asked  to  be 
forgiven  his  hasty  words — said  he  meant  nothing 
— that  he  was  merely  jesting,  and  all  that.  But 
it  was  of  no  use.  He  had  unsealed  the  fountain 
of  tears,  and  vainly  tried  to  check  its  flow.  With 
rather  a  heavy  heart  he  left  bis  dwelling  on  the 
morning  when  this  distressing  incident  occurred, 
leaving  a  tear-drowned  face  behind  him.  Slowly 
he  moved  along  on  his  way  to  the  store,  musing, 
with  his  eyes  upon  the  pavement.  Now  he  blamed 
himself  for  having  spoken  so  unguardedly,  and 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  227 

now  he  was  out  of  patience  with  his  wife  for  her 
unreasonable  extravagance. 

But  what  was  to  be  done?  That  was  now 
the  difficult  question.  Cloud  and  storm  were  in 
his  dwelling — how  were  they  to  be  removed  ?  Pin- 
kerton  lifted  his  eyes  from  the  pavement  just  as 
this  mental  enquiry  was  made,  with  more  than 
wonted  earnestness.  How  opportune  !  He  was 
just  opposite  the  store  of  Mr.  Gelston,  and  there, 
in  the  window,  stood  a  beautiful  French  clock. 
Resistance  was  useless.  Here  was  the  remedy  ; 
and  if  he  would  cure  the  disease,  it  must  be  ap 
plied.  The  conviction  was  not  to  be  resisted. 
So,  without  waiting  for  an  obtrusive  doubt,  he 
entered  the  store,  bought  the  clock,  and  had  it 
sent  home. 

When,  a  few  hours  afterwards,  he  entered  the 
dwelling,  it  was  full  of  sunshine 


CHAPTER     XXI. 


ELEGANTLY  furnished  were  the  parlors  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  and  quite  up  to  the  taste  of 
our  ambitious  lady  and  gentleman.  But  it  is  not 
in  the  human  mind  to  be  satisfied  with  its 
achievements.  Conquest  or  possession  is  quickly 
followed  by  new.  aspirations  or  new  desires.  It 
was  not  enough  that  daily  they  could  admire  the 
beautiful  effect  of  the  costly  articles  with  which 
their  rooms  were  adorned — not  enough  that  an 
occasional  visitor  approved  or  commended.  Their 
vanity  required  more  highly  seasoned  aliments. 
They  must  give  a  party. 

In  justice  to  Pinkerton,  it  should  be  said,  that 
the  idea  of  a  party  did  not  originate  with  him. 
Too  actively  were  his  thoughts  engaged  in  busi- 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  229 

ness,  to  leave  room  for  suggestions  of  this  kind. 
When  the  thing  was  first  proposed  by  his  fash 
ionable  wife,  he  felt  altogether  disinclined  thereto, 
and  from  prudential  reasons,  which  experience  had 
already  taught  him  it  would  be  useless  to  set 
forth.  He  had  not  quite  forgotten  the  causes 
which  led  to  a  dissolution  of  his  first  copartner 
ship,  nor  the  mortifying  position  in  which  he  had 
been  placed.  Not  once,  but  many  times  during 
the  progress  of  those  domestic  changes  by  which 
his  drawing  rooms  were  made  to  assume  an  air 
of  elegance  somewhat  in  advance  of  his  real 
ability  to  procure,  troublesome  doubts  had  in 
vaded  his  mind.  He  felt  that  he  was  venturing  a 
little  way  on  dangerous  ground ;  but  it  availed  not 
that  he  was  inclined  to  take  counsel  of  Prudence 
— another's  ears  were  deaf  to  all  her  suggestions 
and  arguments. 

<c  It  will  be  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  Flora,"  he 
said,  coldly,  when  the  party  was  first  mentioned. 

"  I  shall  not  regard  it  as  such,"  the  young  wife 
quickly  answered.  "  In  fact,  it  will  be  a  pleasant 
excitement.  But,  even  if  I  were  to  feel  it  as  a 
trouble,  the  obligation  to  reciprocate  social  fes 
tivities  would  be  none  the  less  binding.  Eemem- 
ber,  that  we  have  attended  a  number  of  parties, 


230  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

and  unless  we  give  one  in  return,  we  must  not 
expect  to  hold  our  place  in  society." 

There  was  power  in  that  last  argument  for  a 
man  like  Pinkerton,  who  did  not  yet  feel  altoge 
ther  assured  of  his  newly  acquired  social  posi 
tion.  His  feeble  opposition  was  soon  abandoned, 
and  then  the  current  of  thought  and  feeling  flow 
ed  pleasantly  in  a  new  direction. 

Who  were  to  be  the  guests  ?  This  was  the 
next  important  question. 

In  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Pinkerton  had  lost  caste 
with  a  few  families,  certain  members  of  which, 
for  the  sake  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen,  had  kept  up 
a  kind  of  off-and-on  acquaintance  with  her,  now 
and  then  leaving  a  card,  or  passing  a  few  formal 
compliments  at  accidental  meetings.  Deeply  had 
the  pride  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton  been  wounded  by 
this,  and  she  had  looked  forward  with  an  intense 
desire  for  the  time  to  arrive  when  it  would  be  in 
her  power  to  show  these  persons  that  they  had 
committed  a  mistake.  The  activity  of  this  desire 
grew  stronger  as  her  drawing-rooms  gradually 
put  off  their  modest,  but  genteel  adornments,  and 
became  arrayed  in  a  style  of  greater  elegance. 
And  now,  in  the  matter  of  a  party,  it  exercised  a 
leadinsr  influence. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND. 


231 


"Who  were  to  be  the  guests  ?  It  was  no  diffi 
cult  matter  to  make  the  general  and  unimportant 
selections.  But  the  upper  and  lower  extremes 
were  not  so  easily  defined.  Certain  persons  would 
give  an  eclat  to  the  affair,  if  their  presence  could 
be  secured.  These  Mrs.  Pinkerton  undertook  to 
manage  by  a  series  of  calls,  in  making  which  she 
was  particularly  careful  to  speak  with  great  fa 
miliarity  of  well-known  ladies  prominent  in  so 
ciety,  as  if  she  were  on  terms  of  close  intimacy 
with  them.  As  it  was  known  that  her  family 
moved  in  the  same  circles  with  these  persons,  the 
ruse  took  in  certain  quarters,  as  Mrs.  Pinkerton 
clearly  saw.  So  her  mind  rested  from  its  anxiety 
as  to  the  presence  of  those  who  were  to  give 
character  to  her  party. 

During  the  conference  on  this  subject,  which 
took  place  between  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  the 
former  said : 

"  I  wish  to  invite  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lofton." 

"  Don't  think  of  it,"  was  the  prompt  and  firmly 
littered  reply  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton. 

"  Why  not  ?"  asked  the  husband. 

M  Because  we  don't  want  such  people  for  our 
acquaintances.  And,  moreover,  we  have  invited 


232  BPAHING   TO     SPEND. 

those  who  would  regard  their  presence  as  an  af 
front." 

This  rather  touched  Pinkerton,  who  answered 
a  little  sharply : 

"  Archibald  Lofton  is  quite  as  good  as  any  on 
your  list." 

"I  -don't  know  anything  about  that,  Mark," 
said  Mrs.  Pinkerton.  "  All  I  know  is,  that  he  is 
a  clerk,  and  that  his  wife  is,  or  was,  a  dress 
maker.  Now,  gentlemen  and  ladies  don't  expect 
to  have  clerks  and  seamstresses  intruded  upon 
them  at  fashionable  parties.  It  would  be  looked 
upon  as  an  insult." 

"  They  were  both  present,  you  will  remember, 
at  Mr.  Arden's,"  was  replied  to  this. 

"  O  yes,  I  remember  that  very  well,  and  I  re 
member  something  else  that  occurred  on  the  oc 
casion." 

"  What  ?" 

"  Mrs.  G ,  on  hearing  who  they  were,  said, 

in  my  presence,  that  she  considered  it  an  outrage, 
and  that  if  it  wasn't  for  certain  business  rela 
tions  between  her  husband  and  Mr.  Arden,  she 
would  promptly  withdraw  from  the  company." 

"  Her  husband  is  largely  indebted  to  Mr.  Arden 
for  borrowed  money.  That  I  heard  only  a  week 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  233 

ago,"  said  Mr.  Pinkerton.  "  But,  let  me  inform 
you  that  you  are  slightly  in  error  in  regard  to 
Mr.  Lofton.  He  is  no  longer  a  clerk.  It  is  now 
some  weeks  since  he  entered  into  business  under 
very  advantageous  auspices." 

"  With  whom  ?" 

There  was  a  slight  hesitation  on  the  part  of 
Pinkerton  before  he  replied. 

"  With  Mr.  Ackland." 

"  Not  your  former  partner  !" 

"  The  same.  And  now,  Flora,  I  cannot  for  the 
life  of  me  see  why  his  position,  socially,  is  not 
just  as  good  as  mine." 

"  Oh,  as  to  him,"  replied  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  "  if 
he  were  unmarried,  there  would  be  no  difficulty. 
But  he  has  chosen  to  unite  himself  in  marriage 
with  a  low,  vulgar  woman,  and  that  settles  the 
question.  They  cannot  be  invited,  Mark ;  and 
so  I  beg  you  say  no  more  about  it." 

"  Not  a  low,  vulgar  woman,  Flora,"  said  Mr. 
Pinkerton.  "  In  that  estimation  you  are  in  error." 

"  Don't,  Mark,  pray,  dwell  upon  this  any  longer. 
You  may  invite  Mr.  Lofton,  if  you  are  so  inclined ; 
but,  as  for  Mrs.  Lofton,  I  do  not  intend  to  asso 
ciate  with  her,  and  therefore,  shall  not  invite  her 
to  my  house." 


234  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  Oh,  well,  if  you  foreclose  the  matter  in  that 
way,  it  must  end,"  said  Pinkerton,  in  a  dissatis 
fied  tone  of  voice.  "  There  may  come  a  time, 
however,  when  both  you  and  I  will  see  cause  to 
regret  the  present  decision." 

Pinkerton  spoke  from  a  sudden  intruding  per 
ception. 

"  I'll  take  the  risk,"  was  the  lady's  prompt  an 
swer  ;  and  there  the  subject  was  dropped. 

In  due  time  the  party  came  off.  It  was  no 
half-way  affair,  so  far  as  the  costliness  of  the  en 
tertainment  was  concerned,  though  certain  draw 
backs  marred  seriously  the  pleasure  of  the  Pinker- 
tons.  Nearly  all  of  those  who  were  expected  to 
give  character  to  the  entertainment,  unfortunately 
or  conveniently,  had  other  engagements,  and  cool 
ly  sent  in  their  "  regrets ;"  while  all  who  were  of 
no  account  whatever,  and  some  who  were  invited 
•  out  of  mere  compliment,  came  up,  to  the  man  and 
woman,  and  ate,  drank,  and  made  themselves 
merry  at  the  expense  of  our  foolish  young 
friends. 

Among  the  guests  was  Ackland,  the  partner  of 
Mr.  Lofton.  He  had  attended,  less  from  inclina 
tion,  than  from  a  desire  to  see  the  style  in  which 
Pinkerton  was  now  living,  and  the  kind  of  enter- 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  235 

tainment  he  would  give.  The  evening  was  draw 
ing  near  to  a  close,  and  he  stood,  soon  after  leaving 
the  luxurious  supper-tables,  talking  with  the 
partner  of  Pinkerton,  when  a  person  who  did 
not  know  Mr.  Lee  approached  them  and  said, 
with  a  half-concealed  sneer, 

"  Our  young  friend  drives  a  pretty  fast  team." 

Ackland  made  no  response.  He  could  not  as 
sent  to  the  remark,  although  it  accorded  with 
his  own  view ;  nor  did  he  feel  disposed  in  the 
least  to  apologize  for  the  seeming  extravagance 
of  their  entertainer. 

"  There's  plenty  of  go-ahead  about  him,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Lee,  smiling,  and  in  a  tone  that  showed 
him  not  to  be  in  the  least  uneasy  in  regard  to  the 
fast  driving  of  his  partner. 

"  He's  bound  to  break  an  axle,  or  dash  down  a 
precipice,"  said  the  other,  lightly. 

"  You  think  so  ?"  responded  Lee. 

"I  do ;  and  I'm  not  alone  in  my  thoughts." 

"  While  I,"  said  Lee,  "  regard  him  as  a  safe 
driver,  because  he  knows  the  road." 

"  Are  you  sure  of  that  ?"  was  the  quick,  doubt 
ful  interrogation. 

"  Very  sure." 

"  I  only  hope  he   may  be,"  said   the  other. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  But  for  my  part,  I  shouldn't  like  to  be  in  the 
same  vehicle  with  him." 

With  this  remark  the  stranger  to  Mr.  Lee 
moved  across  the  room,  and  the  two  gentlemen 
were  alone  again. 

"  Who  is  that  ?"  enquired  the  latter. 

"  Don't  you  know  him  ?"  asked  Ackland, 
slightly  evincing  surprise. 

"I  do  not." 

"  That  is  Thomas,  of  the  house  of  Jacobs, 
Thomas  &  Ward." 

"  Is  it  indeed  !  I  know  Mr.  Jacobs  very  well, 
but  never  met  Thomas  before.  He  is  said  to  be 
a  very  shrewd  business  man." 

"  That  is  his  reputation." 

"  I  am  surprised  that  he  should  speak  so  of 
Mr.  Pinkerton.  He  probably  has  some  pique 
against  him." 

"  I  do  not  know,  I  am  sure.  The  firm  of  which 
he  is  a  member  has  the  reputation  of  being  one 
of  the  most  cautious,  as  well  as  one  of  the  strong 
est  in  the  city." 

"  They  cannot  understand  a  man  of  a  liberal, 
enterprising  spirit,"  said  Mr.  Lee,  "  and  see 
danger  in  every  step  not  taken  in  the  beaten 
track." 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  237 

To  this  Mr.  Ackland  made  no  answer.  After 
a  slight  pause,  Mr.  Lee  said  : 

"  Are  you  of  the  same  opinion"  with  Mr. 
Thomas  ?" 

It  was  some  moments  before  Ackland  said  : 

"  It  isn't  good  for  a  young  house  to  have  an 
impression,  like- that  just  given  by  Mr.  Thomas, 
entertained  in  regard  to  a  prominent,  active 
partner." 

"  Why  ?'" 

"  Such  things  may  affect,  injuriously,  the  credit 
of  a  house." 

"  There  may  be  something  in  that,"  said  Lee, 
into  whose  mind  a  new  light  seemed  all  at  once 
to  break.  "  And  yet,"  he  added,  "  such  impres 
sions  may  be  altogether  erroneous,  as  they  are 
in  the  present  case  Enterprise  and  activity  are 
now  the  order  of  the  day,  and  new  men,  if  they 
expect  to  succeed,  must  be  on  £he  alert.  Old 
firms  that  have  an  established  reputation,  and  a 
large  range  of  customers,  may  keep  on  their 
steady  course,  and  at  the  old  movement,  but  new 
houses  cannot  hope  for  success,  unless  they  drive, 
as  Mr.  Thomas  has  been  pleased  to  say,  a  pretty 
fast  team." 

"  Let  those  who  are  willing  to  take  the  risks, 


238  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

do  so,"  replied  Ackland.  "  I  am  one  of  a  class 
that  still  believes  in  slow  and  sure." 

"Your  new  partner,  from  all  I  have  heard  of 
him,  must  be  a  man  after  your  own  heart,"  said 
Lee,  in  a  tone  not  altogether  pleasant  to  the  ears 
of  Mr.  Ackland. 

"  I  like  him  so  far,"  was  the  quiet  answer. 
And  here  the  two  men  separated. 

Lightly  as  Mr.  Lee  had  treated  the  remark  of 
Mr.  Thomas,  it  made  a  lodgment  in  his  mind,  and 
remained  there,  with  two  or  three  other  remarks 
heard  during  the  evening,  to  be  conned  over. 
Through  these,  he  was  first  made  aware  that  a 
pretty  general  impression  existed  in  regard  to 
Pinkerton,  that  he  was  an  extravagant  young 
man,  and  ever  disposed  to  live  beyond  his  means. 
Try  as  Mr.  Lee  would,  to  banish  all  this  from  his 
mind,  he  was  not  successful.  An  impression 
unfavorable  to  his  partner  had  been  made,  and 
nothing  could  now  remove  it.  The  result  was  a 
determination  on  his  part  to  give  more  direct 
thought  to  the  general  movement  of  the  business 
in  which  they  were  engaged ;  to  apply,  where  his 
own  judgment  approved,  checks  and  balances,  and 
to  look  more  narrowly  into  the  personal  move 
ments  and  expenses  of  Pinkerton. 


SPARING    TO     SPEND.  239 

Wisely  enough  was  this  determined,  but  Mr. 
Lee  was  of  too  confiding  a  disposition — was  too 
easily  influenced  by  specious  words  and  fair  re 
presentations —  to  act,  in  the  case,  with  the 
decision  that  marked  the  course  of  Ackland. 
Moreover,  he  was  not  a  very  strong-minded  man. 
In  regard  to  business,  he  saw  things  much  clearer 
in  the  light  of  other  men's  intelligence  than  in  the 
light  of  his  own.  Close  and  comprehensive 
views  he  did  not  possess,  nor  had  be  a  mind  that 
was  accurate  in  detail.  "When  his  partner  laid 
before  him  plans  for  business,  and  traced  out 
results,  he  saw  all  as  clear  as  a  sunbeam ;  but  he 
could  not  do  this  for  himself.  He  therefore  rested 
almost  entirely  on  Pinkerton.  To  disturb  his 
confidence,  was  rather  a  serious  matter,  for  it 
gave  him  a  sense  of  insecurity  that  was  far  from 
being  agreeable.  It  wakened  in  his  mind  a 
fruitless  conflict. 

Very  far  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pinkerton  from 
deriving  the  pleasure  they  had  anticipated  from 
their  party.  The  well-bred  portion  of  their  com 
pany,  who  really  admired  the  elegance  of  their 
drawing-rooms,  made  no  remarks  thereon ;  while 
a  few  of  the  envious  and  ill-bred  managed  to  let 
some  things  reach  their  ears  that  were  by  no 


240  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

means  flattering.  Particularly  had  they  been 
disappointed  and  chagrined  by  the  number  of 
"  regrets"  that  came  in  from  certain  quarters. 
In  fact,  but  few  of  those  for  whom  the  entertain 
ment  was  really  designed  honored  them  with 
their  presence.  The  meaning  of  this  was  but 
too  well  understood  by  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  whose 
mortification  was  extreme. 

Quite  as  unpleasant  to  Mr.  Pinkerton  was  the 
necessity,  a  few  days  afterwards  to  draw  a  check 
of  three  hundred  dollars  to  meet  the  bills  for 
wines,  confectionery,  attendance,  etc.,  that  were 
promptly  handed  in,  and  which,  somewhat  to  his 
regret,  first  came  under  the  eyes  of  his  partner, 
who  had  conned  them  over  with  certain  thoughts 
in  his  mind  that  were  kept  to  himself. 

So  much  for  the  Pinkerton's  first  grand  party. 
The  cost  of  their  new  sofa  was  increasing  rapid 
ly.  It  stood  them,  now,  "  in  the  sum  "  of  nearly 
two  thousand  dollars.  But  this  was  only  the  be 
ginning. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 


INSTEAD  of  humiliating  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  the 
failure  of  her  party — she  regarded  it  as  a  failure, 
because  the  end  in  view  was  not  gained — only 
stimulated  her  ambition.  One  disparaging  re 
mark,  which  had  reached  her  ears  from  an  ill-bred 
guest,  was  in  reference  to  her  chamber  furniture, 
which  did  not  contrast  very  favorably  with  that 
in  the  parlors.  To  have  this  all  right,  was  her 
next  care.  A  feeble  opposition  was  made  by  her 
husband,  but  it  was  soon  withdrawn.  Cabinet 
makers  and  upholsterers  were  again  in  requisi 
tion.  In  their  hands,  a  most  striking  change 
was  soon  produced,  as  the  reader  may  imagine, 
when  told  that  their  joint  bill  was  five  hundred 
dollars, 'for  which  Mr.  Pinkerton  could  do  no  less 
11 


242  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

than  give  bis  note.  The  note-giving  was  an 
eas^  mode  of  settling  these  little  affairs  for  the 
time  being.  Unfortunately,  however,  the  "  days 
after  date"  passed  away  with  singular  fleetness; 
and  Pinkerton  did  not  feel  altogether  comfortable 
when  compelled  to  draw  the  large  sums  needed  to 
meet  his  many  personal  obligations. 

In  order  to  justify  this  liberal  expenditure,  our 
young  friend  made  it  a  point  to  exaggerate,  when 
talking  about  business  and  profits  to  his  partner, 
and  the  latter  weekly  suffered  himself  to  be  mis 
led  by  the  specious  declarations.  In  this  way 
Pinkerton  not  only  misled,  to  a  considerable  ex 
tent,  the  pliant  and  complying  Mr.  Lee,  but  ac 
tually  wrought  in  his  own  mind  a  kind  of  self- 
deception.  He  really  believed  the  firm  to  be 
making  two  dollars  profit,  where  they  were  not 
realizing  over  one.  Still,  they  were  doing  a 
large  and  profitable  business;  were  in  the  high 
road  to  fortune.  The  danger  of  their  position 
lay  in  their  want  of  mercantile  prudence. 

Further,  to  make  his  own  relation  to  the  busi 
ness  less  annoying  and  open  to  objection  from 
his  partner,  Pinkerton  urged  Mr.  Lee  to  adopt  a 
more  expensive  arid  fashionable  style  of  living, 
as  not  only  justified  by  their  income,  but  really 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  243 

due  to  their  position.  For  a  time  Mr.  Lee  resisted 
this  temptation,  but  yielded  at  last ;  and  Pinker- 
ton  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  debit  side  of 
bis  partner's  account  accumulating  figures  in  a 
ratio  approximating  to  his  own. 

It  can  hardly  be  supposed  that  the  pride  and 
social  ambition  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton  was  going  to 
rest  satisfied  with  the  simple  re-furnishing  of  her 
parlors  and  chambers  ;  the  more  especially,  as  she 
understood  that  her  husband's  business  was  ra 
pidly  on  the  increase,  and  that  the  annual  profits 
were  very  large.  In  due  time,  she  discovered 
that  the  dwelling  they  occupied  was  small  in 
comparison  with  the  residences  of  certain  fash 
ionable  acquaintances.  From  that  moment  the 
charm  of  everything  around  her  was  gone.  The 
elegant  sofa — ah,  that  sofa !  for  how  many 
changes  was  it  not  responsible  ! — the  pier  and 
centre-tables ;  the  handsome  chairs,  lounges,  ot 
tomans,  etc. ;  how  crowded  they  all  looked  in 
those  small  rooms  ;  and  how,  before  this  not  ob 
served,  did  they  cover  the  rich  carpet,  and  hiofe 
its  gorgeous  figures  ! 

Mrs.  Pinkerton  really  wondered  within  her 
self  that  she  had  not  made  this  discovery  before 
— wondered  that  she  could  ever  have  regarded  her 


244  SPAR  TNG    TO    SPEND. 

drawing-rooms  as  in  good  taste.  The  fact  that 
certain  families  failed  to  honor,  with  their  pre 
sence,  her  imposing  entertainment,  did  not  now 
so  much  surprise  her.  She  had  imagined 
herself  surrounded  with  all  that  was  elegant  and 
imposing,  while  they  saw  nothing  but  what  was 
meagre,  common,  or  contracted. 

From  that  period,  the  social  ambition  of  Mrs. 
Pinkerton  plumed  its  wings  for  a  higher  flight. 
But  she  had  by  this  time,  become  sufficiently 
well-acquainted  with  her  husband's  character — 
sufficiently  aware  of  his  weakness — to  know 
how  most  easily  to  bend  him  to  her  wishes.  She 
now  sought  to  excite  in  him  the  desire  that  burn 
ed  in  her  own  mind.  He  was  naturally  extrava 
gant,  and  fond  of  making  an  appearance.  More 
over,  neither  her  relatives,  nor  the  class  to  which 
they  belonged,  had  ever  treated  him  with  cor 
diality — had  ever  more  than  tolerated  him  for  the 
sake  of  his  wife.  Often  had  this  stung  him  to 
the  quick  :  and  many,  many  times  had  he  looked 
impatiently  into  the  future  for  the  approaching 
day,  when  ample  wealth  could  give  him  the  power 
of  retaliation. 

All  this  Mrs.  Pinkerton  understood;  and  she 
taw,  clearly,  its  value  as  a  means  to  her  own 


"SPAIUNG   TO    SPEND.  245 

ends.  Adroitly  she  began,  by  casual  contrasts 
between  the  size  of  their  dwelling,  and  that  of 
certain  persons  against  whom  ill-will  or  preju 
dice  existed  in  the  mind  of  her  husband.  Then 
she  would  repeat  a  remark  made  by  this  or  that 
one,  in  which  something  disparaging  to  their 
style  of  living  was  but  half-concealed.  And  so 
she  went  on,  observing  closely  the  effect,  and 
varying,  from  time  to  time,  her  mode  of  attack. 
She  saw  from  the  beginning,  that  her  end  would 
be  accomplished. 

The  work  was  not  done  in  a  week,  nor  in  a 
month.  A  year  elapsed  ere  the  mind  of  Pinker- 
ton  was  prepared  for  a  change — ere  all  comeli 
ness  vanished  from  the  dwelling  he  had  once 
thought  so  commodious  and  beautiful.  He  had 
said  that  he  would  not  move,  until  he  moved  into 
his  own  house;  and  this  promise  to  himself  he 
still  wished  to  keep.  Yet,  was  he  not  quite  pre 
pared  to  build.  The  business  of  the  firm  had 
grown  rapidly,  and  the  ratio  of  profits  had  been 
very  heavy.  But,  even  his  desire  to  make  a 
show  was  not  strong  enough  to  silence  the  voice 
of  prudence. 

"  Had  we  not  better  defer  any  change  for  an- 
other  year  ?"  he  said  to  his  wife,  after  the  ques- 


246  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

tion  of  removal  had  come  fairly  up  for  discussion. 
"As  I  have  often  said,  whenever  I  leave  this 
house,  I  wish  to  go  into  my  own ;  and  it's  out  of 
the  question  to  think  of  building  yet.  Next 
year,  if  business  goes  on  prosperously,  I  hope  to 
find  myself  in  altogether  another  position." 

"  You  know  best  about  that,"  replied  Mrs. 
Pinkerton,  soberly,  and  with  a  look  of  disap 
pointment. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  build  this  year,"  said  the 
husband. 

"  As  for  building,  why  not  defer  it  for  several 
years  ?  I  shall  be  entirely  satisfied  with  a  rented 
house,  so  that  it  is  genteel  and  commodious. 
Don't  you  see,  Mark,  that  we  are  fast  losing  our 
position? — we  must  make  a  change,  and  that 
speedily,  or  some  of  our  most  desirable  acquaint 
ances  will  be  lost.  It  was  only  yesterday  that 

Mrs.  G turned  her  head  away,  in  passing 

here,  that  she  might  not  have  to  recognize  me  at 
the  window.     And  you  know  that  we  failed  to 

receive   invitations  to   Mrs.   B 's  last  week. 

It  is  easy  enough  to  comprehend  all  this.     We 
are  judged  by  our  style  of  living." 

"  This  moving  into  a  larger  house,  Flora,  will 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  247 

involve  the  heavy   expense   of  refurnishing,  re 
member." 

"0  no ;  not  by  any  means,"  quickly  replied 
Mrs.  Pinkerton.  "  The  furniture  is  good  enough. 
It  is  the  smallness  of  our  rooms  that  destroys 
the  beauty  of  everything." 

"  The  same  carpets  will  not  answer  for  larger 
parlors." 

"  The  carpets  are  just  as  good  as  new,  and 
handsome  enough  for  any  one.  The  addition  of 
a  few  yards  is  all  that  will  be  needed."  Thus, 
promptly  was  this  objection  met;  and  so  were 
all  others  urged  by  Mr.  Pinkerton. 

Three  or  four  months  elapsed  before  a  house 
just  to  their  mind  presented  itself;  then  they  re 
moved  into  Charles  street.  The  new  rent  was 
six  hundred  dollars  a  year.  "  About  the  cost  of 
removal  ?"  we  hear  asked — "  What  of  the  car 
pets  ?  Was  the  addition  of  a  few  yards  all  they 
needed  to  make  them  suitable  for  the  new  draw 
ing-rooms  ?"  Not  by  any  means.  The  new 
drawing-rooms  were  at  least  three  yards  longer 
than  the  old  ones,  and  over  a  yard  wider.  To 
manage  the  width  was  altogether  a  simple  matter. 
But,  the  other  defect  was  only  to  be  met  by 
piecing  the  handsome  carpets  across  the  breadths 


243  SPARING     TO    SPEND. 

in  both  rooms.  This  could  not  be  done  without 
sewing  the  seam  ;  and  the  expedient  was 
scarcely  more  than  thought  of  than  abandoned. 
So  new  carpets  had  to  be  purchased  for  the  new 
parlors. 

It  very  soon  became  apparent  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pinkerton,  that  their  removal  into  a  larger  house 
was  not  to  be  effected  at  a  trifling  cost.  The  in 
creased  dimensions  of  everything  rendered  arti 
cles,  almost  innumerable,  either  entirely  useless, 
or  requiring  more  or  less  expense  to  give  them 
a  just  adaptation  to  the  new  positions  in  which 
they  were  required  to  do  service.  As  for  the 
drawing-room  furniture — late  in  so  crowded  a 
condition — all  now  looked  meagre.  Sofas,  chairs, 
tables,  etc.,  were  at  "  magnificent  distances"  from 
each  other.  Harmony  and  just  relation  were 
only  obtained  by  an  outlay  of  several  hundred 
dollars  for  additional  articles.  The  whole  re 
moval  cost  very  little  short  of  twelve  hundred 
dollars.  The  various  particulars  we  need  not 
give.  Any  reader  who  has  seen  a  little  of  fash 
ionable  life,  and  who  knows  anything  of  the  emu 
lation  that  exists  among  fashionable  people  in  re 
gard  to  furniture,  can  readily  imagine  the  case 
with  which  the  sum  mentioned  could  be  ex 
pended- 


SPARING    TO     SPEND.  249 

"  But  what  of  the  Loftons  all  this  time  ?"  ia 
asked.  Plodding  on  in  the  old  way.  "  Still  in 
the  little  house,  the  street  door  of  which  opens 
into  the  parlor  ?"  Still  there,  kind  reader,  and 
as  cheerful  and  happy  as  when  you  looked  in' 
upon  them  some  eighteen  months  ago.  "  Lofton 
is  in -business  with  Mr.  Ackland  ?"  0  yes  ;  and 
an  active,  energetic,  intelligent  business  man  he 
has  made.  The  new  firm*  is  getting  along  brave 
ly.  Not  in  the  dashing  style  that  marked  the 
brief  business  career  of  Pinkerton  &  Acklaud, 
but  with  a  safe  and  surely  progressive  move 
ment. 

In  the  beginning  it  was  arranged  between  the 
two  partners  that  each  should  draw  out,  annually, 
for  the  two  first  years,  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
per  annum.  Of  this  sum,  Lofton  had  saved  over 
a  thousand  dollars,  which,  added  to  former  de 
posits  in  the  Savings  Fund,  gave  him  the  hand 
some  sum  of  nearly  thirteen  hundred  dollars. 

On  the  evening  of  the  very  day  on  which 
Pinkerton  commenced  moving  into  his  new  house, 
Mr.  Ackland,  who  frequently  went  home  with 
Lofton  after  business  was  over,  and  joined  the 
family  at  tea,  noticed,  in  passing,  that  his  old 
partner  was  leaving  the  very  desirable  residence 


250  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

in  which  he  had  been  living,  and  that  a  bill  was 
up,  giving  notice  that  the  house  was  to  rent.  He 
said  nothing,  but  the  incident  set  him  to  think 
ing  ;  and  the  result  of  his  thoughts  will  be  seen. 
Mr.  Ackland  was  a  single  man ;  and  the  present 
prospect  of  his  remaining  single  was  quite  flatter 
ing.  The  genial  home  sphere  at  Lofton's  had 
always  been  very  pleasant  to  him,  as  was  evinced 
by  the  many  social  evenings  that  were  spent 
with  these  new  friends,  to  whom  he  grew  more 
and  more  attached  the  better  he  knew  them. 

On  this  occasion,  as  they  sat  around  the  tea- 
table,  Ackland  said,  after  a  pause  in  the  cheerful 
conversation : 

"  I  noticed,  as  we  came  along,  that  Pinkerton 
was  moving." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Lofton,  "  he  is  going  into 
one  of  those  large,  new  houses  in  Charles  street." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  my  taking  the  pleasant 
house  he  is  leaving  ?"  said  Ackland, 

"  You  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lofton  at 
once,  in  no  feigned  surprise. 

"  Yes,  me,"  was  the  quiet,  smiling  answer. 

"  You  are  about  to  get  married  ?" 

"  0  no !  No  hope  of  that  yet,"  was  tha  still 
smiling  response. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  251 

"  What  then  ?  you  are  certainly  not  going  to 
keep  bachelor's  hall  ?" 

"  O  dear  no  !  But  let  me  tell  you  what  I  have 
been  thinking  about  for  the  last  half-hour ;  I'm  in 
earnest.  How  much  money  have  you,  Lofton  ?" 

"  Nearly  thirteen  hundred  dollars." 

"  So  I  thought.  Well,  it's  about  ^me  you 
moved  from  here.  I've  been  thinking  of  this  for 
some  months  past.  Our  position  in  trade  requires 
that  you,  as  one  of  the  partners,  should  assume  a 
rather  more  imposing  style  of  housekeeping. 
This  looks  as  if  we  were  not  doing  a  profitable 
business ;  and  I  don't  care  to  have  such  ail  im 
pression  abroad.  Now,  I've  got  a  proposition  to 
make.  If  you'll  spend  your  thirteen  hundred 
dollars  in  furnishing  the  house  that  Pinkerton  is 
leaving,  and  which  I  suppose,  is  not  good 
enough  for  him,  I'll  pay  the  rent  of  it  for  a  room 
and  my  boarding.  Now,  what  do  you  say  to 
that  ?  Remember  that  our  profits  are  good,  and 
increasing,  and  that  you  can  draw  two  thousand 
a  year,  if  needed,  with  the  utmost  propriety.  The 
only  question  then  need  be,  as  to  whether  you 
can  give  me  a  corner  in  your  pleasant  home." 

For  a  time  neither  Lofton  nor  his  excellent 
wife  knew  what  to  say.  For  such  a  proposition 


252  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

they  were  in  no  way  prepared.  But,  thought 
soon  ran  clear,  and  then  the  whole  subject  was 
fully  discussed.  To  Mr.  Ackland  they  were 
already  strongly  attached ;  and  that  part  of  the 
proposition  which  looked  to  his  becoming  an  in 
mate  of  their  family,  was  altogether  agreeable. — 
Ere  the  evening  closed,  the  new  arrangement,  so 
suddenly  conceived  and  proposed,  was  decided 
upon. 

On  the  next  day,  Mr.  Ackland  secured  the 
house,  and  as  soon  as  Pinkerton  had  completed 
his  removal,  the  re-furnishing  commenced.  In  a 
few  weeks  both  families  had  fairly  settled  down 
in  their  new  homes.  Both  had  taken  a  step 
higher  in  the  social  world,  and  both  looked  to 
increased  enjoyment  in  consequence.  But  still, 
under  what  different  auspices,  and  with  \yhat  a 
different  promise  for  the  future  !  In  one  case  the 
foundations  were  carefully  laid,  and  the  super 
structure  above  them  reared  with  a  strict  regard 
to  the  amount  of  pressure  that  was  to  be  sus 
tained;  in  the- other  case,  an  elegant,  imposing 
edifice  so  captivated  the  eye  and  the  thoughts, 
that  little  attention  was  paid  to  the  quality  and 
due  arrangement  of  the  stones  beneath,  upon 
which  the  whole  pressure  must  come.  And  there 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  253 

was  a  time  not  very  far  distant,  when  each  super 
structure  would  be  severely  tested. 

Another  important  difference  between  the  two 
families  may  be  noted.  The  additional  comforts 
and  elegancies  of  the  one  were  procured  without 
the  serious  drawback  of  debt.  "  Spare  to  spend," 
had  been  the  Lofton's  motto,  and  the  present 
result  showed  how  wise  they  had  been  in  a  strict 
adherence  thereto.  Every  article  that  gave  grace 
and  beauty  to  their  new  home  was  paid  for ;  and 
no  desire  for  elegance  beyond  their  ability  to 
secure,  dimmed  the  light  of  their  pleasant  home. 
In  the  case  of  the  Pinkertons,  the  change  had 
burdened  the  future  with  new  obligations  ;  for  to 
meet  all  the  heavy  cost  to  which  their  removal 
had  subjected  them,  they  had  no  reserved  fund, 
and  so  large  a  cash  draft  from  the  business  was 
not  to  be  thought  of  for  a  moment.  Mingling, 
therefore,  with  every  feeling  of  gratified  pride, 
was  a  dim  consciousness  of  trouble  in  the  future; 
a  shadowy  skeleton  intruding  itself  at  the  feast 
they  had  hoped  to  enjoy  with  the  keenest  appe 
tite. 


CHAPTER    XXJ  I  I. 


THE  "  house  warming "  of  the  Pinkertons, 
which  took  place  after  their  removal  into  Charles 
street,  was  honored  by  the  attendance  of  quite  a 
number  of  the  elite  who  had  sent  in  "  regrets"  to 
their  previous  entertainments.  Their  upward 
movement  was  too  marked  to  escape  observation 
— and  as  Mra.  Pinkerton  belonged  to  a  "  good 
family,"  nothing  was  compromised.  Even  Mr. 
Allen,  the  father-in-law  of  our  young  merchant, 
who  had  so  long  maintained  towards  him  a  dis 
tance  of  manner  approaching  almost  to  hauteur, 
began  to  unbend  himself — or,  speaking  more  cor 
rectly,  to  bend  himself  down  to  Pinkerton  with 
quite  an  agreeable  familiarity. 

The  truth  was,  Mr.  Allen's  affairs  were  becom- 


SPARING  TO  srnxn.  S.'M 

ing  rather  embarrassed,  notwithstanding  his 
ownership  of  a  piece  of  property,  "  daily  becom 
ing  more  valuable,"  and  on  which  Pinkerton  had 
looked,  in  the  beginning,  with  a  commercial  eye. 
Under  these  circumstances,  a  son-in-law  reputed 
rich,  was  not  altogether  an  inconvenient  append 
age  to  the  family.  Up  to  this  time,  Mr.  Allen's 
visits  to  the  house  of  his  daughter  had  been  for 
mal,  and,  at  times,  remotely  distant  from  each 
other ;  and  they  usually  occurred  when  Mark  was 
at  his  store.  Now,  he  called  more  frequently, 
and  always  in  the  evening,  or  on  Sundays,  when 
the  husband  of  his  daughter  was  at  home.  His 
manner  towards  Pinkerton  grew  daily  more  free 
and  familiar;  and  a  very  good  understanding  was 
soon  established  between  them.  To  both  parties 
this  was  a  more  agreeable  state  of  things.  Pin 
kerton  was  flattered ;  and  Mr.  Allen  felt  that 
much  personal  advantage  would  accrue  to  him 
self.  He  was  a  shrewd,  unscrupulous,  worldly 
man,  yet  with  not  sufficient  of  self-denial  or  busi 
ness  tact  to  manage  his  own  affairs  with  becom 
ing  prudence.  When  we  speak  of  him  as  a 
shrewd  man,  we  mean  a  shrewd  observer,  with 
something  of  cunning  in  turning  this  quality  to 
bis  own  advantage.  His  profession  enabled  him 


SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

to  profit  largely  by  his  mental  and  moral  pecu 
liarities  :  but  his  lack  of  "  management"  in  his 
personal  affairs  caused  him  to  make  a  serious  lee 
way,  and  threatened  sooner  or  later  to  drive  him 
among  the  breakers.  Several  recent  occurrences 
had  opened  his  eyes  somewhat  widely  to  his  real 
condition,  and  this  had  no  small  influence  in 
changing  wholly  his  manner  towards  his  son-in- 
law. 

About  six  months  after  Pinkerton's  removal 
into  Charles  street,  in  a  conversation  held  with  a 
real  estate  broker,  reference  from  some  cause, 
was  made  to  a  certain  "  valuable  peice  of  pro 
perty"  owned  by  Mr.  Allen. 

"  It  will  be  worth  sixty  thousand  dollars  in  ten 
years,"  said  Pinkerton. 

The  broker  smiled  with  a  meaning  smile. 

"  Don't  you  think  so  ?"  asked  the  young  man. 

"  Property  is  rising  in  that  direction  very  fast," 
said  the  broker;  "  but  sixty  thousand  dollars  is  a 
large  sum  for  an  acre  of  ground." 

"  An  acre !     He  owns  ten  acres." 

The  broker  shook  his  head. 

"  He  certainly  does,"  persisted  Pinkerton.  "  I 
ought  to  know." 

"  I  won't  dispute  that  fact,  my  young  friend  ; 


RPARING    TO    SPEND.  257 

Btill  your  knowledge  happens  to  be  defective 
Mr.  Allen  owns  but  a  single  acre  of  the  ground 
referred  to." 

"  He  did  own  ten  acres." 

"  Ah  !  that  is  all  so.  He  did  own  the  whole 
lot,  but  has  been  selling  off  portions  thereof,  from 
time  to  time,  during  the  last  three  or  four  years, 
and  now  retains  but  a  single  acre." 

"You  are  certain  of  this?"  said  Pinkerton,  in 
a  voice  that  betrayed  the  unpleasant  feelings  pro 
duced  by  the  intelligence. 

"  Altogether  certain  :  it  is  my  business  to  be 
posted  up  in  these  matters." 

"  Even  an  acre  may  become  very  valuable  for 
building  lots.  The  city  is  rapidly  growing  in 
that  direction." 

"  All  very  true.  But  it  will  be  many  years 
before  an  acre  of  ground  there  will  make  any 
man's  fortune.  Such  an  event  will  not  occur  in 
your  life-time  nor  mine." 

"  Perhaps  not.  Well,  no  matter.  So  far  as  I 
am  concerned,  it  is  a  question  of  but  small  inte 
rest."  ,% 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  his  effort  to  seem  indiffer 
ent,  the  tone  in  which  this  was  said  betrayed 


253  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

the  disappointed  feeling  occasioned  by  such  un 
expected  intelligence. 

About  the  time  that  this  conversation  took 
place,  a  gentleman  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Allen. 
The  lawyer  was  sitting  at  his  desk,  writing. — • 
^Lifting  his  eyes,  he  met  the  face  of  a  stranger,  in 
•whose  countenance  was  an  expression  that  pro 
duced  an  instant  sense  of  uneasiness. 

"  Mr.  Thornhill,"  said  the  gentleman,  with 
cold  formality. 

The  countenance  of  Mr.  Allen  flushed  instant 
ly  ;  but  he  arose  and  received  his  visitor  with  a 
show  of  cordiality ;  using  such  expressions  as — 
"  I'm  happy  to  see  you,  sir — very  happy — owe 
you  a  thousand  apologies  for  not  answering  your 
last  letters  promptly.  Glad  you  have  come,  how 
ever — all  can  be  fully  explained  and  arranged  to 
mutual  satisfaction." 

"  Happy  to  hear  you  say  so,  Mr.  Allen,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Thornhill,  but  in  a  way  which  showed 
very  plainly  that  he  looked  upon  the  lawyer's 
affirmations  as  only  words.  "I  have  come  on 
from  New  Orleans  to  get  this  business  definitely 
settled."  <<* 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  that  all  can  be  closed  up, 
said  Mr.  Allen.     "  There  are  several  claims  vet 


SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

unsettled.  I  have  been  pressing  the  suits  vigor 
ously,  of  late ;  and  one  reason  why  your  last  let 
ters  were  not  answered,  was  the  daily  expecta- 
tion  I  had  of  getting  decisions  in  our  favor.  Yes 
terday,  the  court  ruled  out  several  important 
items  of  testimony,  and  the  defendants  got  the 
cases  continued  over  to  another  term." 

Mr.  Allen  did  not  add,  that  this  defective  tes 
timony  was  a  matter  of  understanding  between 
him  and  the  defendants'  counsel,  in  order  to  se 
cure  the  postponement  just  mentioned.  Oh  no — 
that  was  one  of  his  professional  secrets. 

"  All  very  well  so  far  as  it  goes,"  was  the 
firm  answer  of  Mr.  Thornhill  to  this.  "  But, 
over  six  thousand  dollars  have  been  paid  into 
your  hands,  on  account  of  Mr.  Wilding's  estate, 
during  the  last  two  years,  and  not  one  dollar  of 
the  money  has  his  dependent,  almost  destitute 
widow  and  children  been  able  to  get  out  of  your 
hands." 

"  It's  all  safely  invested  for  their  benefit. 
All—" 

"  Precious  littl»,benefit  have  they  derived  from 
it !"  said  Mr.  Thornmll,  interrupting  the  lawyer. 
His  manner  was  impatient,  and  his  tones  slightly 
sarcastic.  "  When  I  wrote  to  YOU  to  send  on  the 


260  SPARING    TO    SPEND.  , 

amount  of  funds  in  hand  to  the  credit  of  tha 
estate,  why  did  you  not  do  so  promptly  ?" 

The  manner  of  the  Southerner  was  so  impera 
tive,  and  his  look  so  fearless  and  indignant,  that 
Mr.  Allen  cowered  before  him  in  spite  of  his  pro 
fessional  coolness.  This,  however,  was  only  for 
a  few  moments.  -He  soon  regained  his  self-pos 
session,  and  replied,  with  some  dignity — 

"  If  you  have  come  on  business,  Mr.  Thornhill, 
I  am  ready  to  meet  you  for  its  transaction  ;  but 
if  to  insult  me,  I  must  beg  the  favor  of  your  with 
drawal." 

For  some  .moments  the  two  men  gazed  fixedly 
at  each  other. 

"  Pardon  my  warmth  of  speech,"  said  Mr. 
Thornhill,  at  length,  in  a  more  temperate  man 
ner; — "  I  have  given  way  somewhat  to  hasty 
feelings,  for  which  I  owe  an  apology.  It  is  for 
the  transaction  of  business  that  I  have  come." 

"  Very  well,  sir.  I  am  ready  to  give  you  every 
information  you  may  desire  in  regard  to  Mr.  Wl- 
ding's  estate.  I  presume  you  have  a  power  of 
attorney,  in  due  form,  from  thejipirs  ?' 

"  I  have." 

"  As  just  said,  my  efforts  to  bring  certain  suits 


SPARING     TO    SPEND.  261 

to  a  close  have  been  foiled,   and  the  cases  contin 
ued  until  the  next  term  of  Court." 

"  That  I  understand — and,  of  course,  we  shall 
have  to  await  the  issue.  But  over  six  thousand 
dollars  due  to  the  estate  have  been  collected." 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  This  has  been  invested,  you  say  ?" 

"It  has." 

"In  what?" 

"  In  bank  stock." 

"  Ah  !  "Well,  that  simplifies  the  matter.  We 
will  have  this  stock  sold  immediately." 

"  Mr.  Allen  moved  uneasily  in  his  chair,  and 
said  something  about  the  doubtful  expediency  of 
throwing  the  stock  into  market. 

"  All  a  straight-forward  business,"  promptly 
responded  Mr.  Thornhill.  "The  stock  is  of 
course,  good." 

"  I  believed  it  good  when  I  made  the  purchase," 
said  Mr.  Allen,  with  some  slight  embarrassment 
in  his  manner.  "  It  was,  in  fact,  above  par.  I 
paid  a  premium  of  ten  per  cent,  on  each  share. — 
Most  unexpectedly,  it  has  since  declined  below 
par." 

"  Humph  !     On  what  bank  ?" 

The   name   was   given.      On    hearing    it,  the 


262  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

Southerner  shrugged  his  shoulders ;  knit  his  heavy 
brows,  and  with  his  eyes  cast  upon  the  floor,  sat 
musing  for  some  time.  Looking  up,  at  length, 
he  said,  in  a  firm  manner : 

"  You  were  particularly  instructed,  Mr.  Allen, 
to  transmit  the  proceeds  of  this  estate  as  fast  as 
realized ;  but  instead  of  doing  so,  you  have  used 
it,  as  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  in  stock  spe 
culations.  Very  well,  this  being  so,  the  loss,  if 
any  occurs,  must  rest  with  yourself.  I  am  here 
for  a  settlement,  and  must  have  it.  You  can  sell 
the  stock  or  raise  the  sum  required  to  be  paid 
over,  in  any  way  that  best  suits  your  con 
venience." 

"Mr.  Thornhill,"  replied  the  lawyer,  in  irre 
pressible  indignation,  "  if  you  expect  to  transact 
business  with  me,  you  must  assume  another  ^ 
tone  and  style  of  language  altogether.  I  am  not 
the  man  to  be  driven  into  any  course  of  action. 
So,  if  you  expect  to  get  a  settlement  on  account 
of  Mrs.  Wilding,  you  must  meet  me  in  a  different 
state  of  mind,  and  with  altogether  a  different 
address.  Until  you  are  prepared  to  do  so,  any 
thing  further  between  us  will  retard,  not  hasten 
the  business  for  which  you  have  visited  our  city." 

Mr.  Thornhill  at  this,  walked  the  floor  hastily 


SrARtNG     TO     SPKND.  263 

for  some  time  with  a  scowling  brow.  He  was  per 
fectly  satisfied,  in  his  own  mind,  that  no  invest 
ment  as  an  investment  had  been  made  of  the 
widow's  money.  That  the  lawyer  had  used  it 
for  his  own  purposes,  and  unless  some  deci 
sive  measures  were  adopted,  it  was  more  than 
doubtful  whether  any  prompt  settlement  could  be 
obtained.  As  for  the  depreciated  stock,  he  was 
inclined  to  believe  that  statement  on  second 
thought  a  subterfuge.  Pausing,  at  length,  and 
fixing  his  keen  black  eyes  upon  Mr.  Allen,  he 
said,  with  a  forced  calmness,  that  was  the  more 
impressive  because  forced — 

"  I  feel  strongly  in  this  matter,  Mr.  Allen,  be 
cause  I  have  seen  something  of  the  distress  your 
neglect  to  pay  over  to  Mrs.  Wilding  the  amount 
due  her,  has  occasioned.  No  special  business  of 
my  own  has  led  me  thus  far  Ngrth.  Indignation 
at  your  conduct  in  the  matter,  and  sympathy  for 
a  helpless  widow,  have  conspired  to  bring  me 
here.  We  Southern  men  have  hot  blood,  and 
when  our  feelings  are  once  aroused,  we  go  to  the 
end  of  our  purposes  with  a  directness  that  spurns 
all  obstacles.  I  know  little  of  professional 
quirks,  and  understand  not  the  merit  of  your 
legal  delays.  I  only  know  that  you  have  about 


264  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

six  thousand  dollars  of  Mrs.  "Wilding's  money  in 
your  hands,  which  I  am  authorized  to  receive ; 
and  I  warn  you  now,  that  if  it  is  not  paid  over 
within  forty-eight  hours  from  this  time,  I  will 
post  you  on  the  street-corners.  As  for  con 
sequences,  I  am  not  the  man  to  estimate  them. 
So  please  to  consider  me  in  earnest.  Day  after 
to-morrow,  I  will  call  upon  you  for  a  settlement. 
In  the  mean  time,  if  you  desire  another  interview, 
you  will  find  me  at  Barnum's.  So  good  day  tc 
you." 

And,  formally  bowing,  the  Hotspur  from  the 
South  retired,  leaving  Mr.  Allen  in  a  state  of 
profound  indignation. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


PROFOUND,  however,  as  was  the  indignation  of 
Mr.  Allen,  another,  and  to  him,  less  agreeable 
sensation,  soon  pervaded  his  mind.  The  threat 
of  Mr.  Thornhill  he  felt  to  be  no  idle  bravado. 
There  was  that  about  the  man  which  showed 
him  to  be  in  earnest.  He  would  hardly  have 
made  the  journey  from  New  Orleans  to  Baltimore 
for  the  settlement  of  this  especial  business,  if  he 
had  not  felt  strongly  on  the  subject.  It  was  all 
true,  that  Mr.  Allen  had  treated  Mrs.  Wilding 
most  unjustly,  retaining  thousands  of  dollars  in 
his  hands,  and  using  the  money  for  his  own  pur 
poses,  while  she,  in  extreme  destitution,  in  a  far- 
off  city,  vainly  appealed  to  him  for  a  settlement 
of  her  husband's  estate.  As  for  his  story  about 
12 


266  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

depreciated  stocks,  that  was  all  a  subterfuge 
The  money  had  been  used  for  his  own  purposes 
almost  as  soon  as  it  came  into  his  hands,  as  had 
been  thousands  of  dollars  besides;  belonging  to 
other  interests  and  estates,  and  which  the  mys 
tified  claimants  sought  fruitlessly  to  obtain. 

Some  hints  to  this  effect  having  reached  Mr. 
Thornhill,  he  had  determined  upon  the  course 
adopted  with  Mr.  Allen  as  the  one  most  likely  to 
bring  him  at  once  to  terms.  And  he  was  not  in 
error.  The  lawyer's  shrewdness  and  cunning 
were  for  once  at  fault.  He  was  not  so  certain  of 
being  able  to  parry  blows  from  such  new  and  for 
midable  weapons,  and  had  well-grounded  fears, 
that  if  he  gave  the  Southerner  battle,  he  would 
most  likely  receive  some  cruel  thrusts  in  vulner 
able  places.  But  how  was  his  demand  to  be 
met  ?  How  was  he  to  raise  immediately  the  large 
sum  of  six  thousand  dollars  ?  It  was  but  too 
true,  that  only  a  single  acre  of  his  prospectively 
valuable  property,  away  on  the  confines  of  the 
city  remained  in  his  possession,  and  that  would 
scarcely  sell  for  as  many  hundreds  as  he  needed 
thousands.  He  owned  the  house  he  lived  in,  but 
it  was  already  mortgaged  for  nearly  all  it  was 
worth.  There  were  in  his  hands  a  few  thousand 


SPARING    TO   SPEND.  267 

• 

dollars  of  trust-money,  but  under  certain  res 
trictions  that  made  it  unavailing  for  his  own  pur 
poses. 

"What  then  was  to  be  done  ?  How  was  the 
sum  due  the  estate  of  Mrs.  "Wilding  to  be  raised  ? 
In  this  dilemma,  Mr.  Allen  thought  of  his  son- 
in-law;  and  a  gleam  of  light  flashed  through  his 
mind.  Pinkerton  &  Lee  were  doing  a  heavy 
and  profitable  business.  Their  credit  was  un 
doubted.  The  lawyer  mused  for  some  time ;  then 
taking  up  his  pen,  he  dashed  off  a  note  to  Mr. 
Thornhill,  asking  whether  his  own  obligation, 
payable  in  six  months,  and  endorsed  by  Pinker- 
ton  &  Lee,  would  be  accepted  for  the  amount 
due  Mrs.  Wilding,  adding  something  about  the 
"ruinous  sacrifice"  at  which  the  stock  would  have 
to  be  sold,  if  thrown  into  market  now.  A  prompt 
affirmative  was  returned. 

A  sigh  escaped  the  lips  of  Mr.  Allen  as  he 
read  Mr.  Thornhill's  answer.  It  would  be  rather 
humiliating  to  his  pride  to  ask  of  his  son-in-law 
this  endorsement — his  son-in-law,  whom  he  had 
once  treated  with  such  smarting  insolence;  and 
towards  whom  he  had  never  acted  with  even, 
common  civility,  until  money  gave  him  a  position 
that  extorted  respect.  But  he  had  virtually 


263  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

offered  the  endorsement,  and  there  was  no  retreat 
now. 

"  My  Dear  Mark"  this  was  the  tenor  of  a 
note  which  found  its  way  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Pinkerton,  while  he  yet  mused,  with  no  very 
pleasant  feelings,  over  the  information  he  had  re 
ceived  from  the  real-estate  broker  touching  his 
father-in-law's  valuable  piece  of  property — "My 
dear  Mark,  if  you  can  call  around  at  my  office 
within  an  hour,  do  so,  if  you  please.  I  wish  to 
see  you  for  something  very  particular." 

Such  a  note  from  Mr.  Allen,  at  any  time  pre 
vious  to  this,  would  have  been  a  pleasant  incident 
to  Mr.  Pinkerton.  He  would  have  felt  it  as  a 
kind  of  triumph  over  the  pride  and  prejudice  of 
his  father-in-law.  But  the  effect  produced  was 
altogether  different  now.  The  missive  came  with 
a  dim  shadow  of  approaching  trouble. 

"  I  wonder  what  he  wants  so  particular  with 
me,  all  at  once."  This  was  the  spirit  in  which 
the  note  was  received. 

"Ah,  Mr.  Pinkerton  !  Glad  to  see  you.  Thank 
you  for  responding  to  my  request  so  promptly," 
said  Mr.  Allen,  as  Mark  entered  his  office. 

Never  before  had  the  proud,  aristocratic  man 
bent  himself  down  to  the  husband  of  hie  daugh- 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  269 

ter,  after  the  peculiar  fashion  in  which  it  was 
now  done.  Never  had  he  been  so  cordial  in  his 
speech — so  familiar  in  his  manner. 

"Can  I  do  anything  for  you?"  was  the  smiling, 
yet  partially  embarrassed  response  of  the  young 
man,  who,  in  the  slight  confusion  of  his  thoughts, 
used  the  very  form  of  speech  he  would  rather 
have  avoided. 

"  Well,  I  think  you  can,  my  boy,"  said  Mr. 
Allen,  with  increasing  familiarity  of  tone  and 
manner.  "  I  find  myself  very  unexpectedly 
called  upon  to  pay  over  a  balance  of  six  thou 
sand  dollars  due  an  estate  in  New  Orleans.  Un 
fortunately  the  money  was  invested  for  the  bene 
fit  of  the  estate,  so  soon  as  received,  in  certain 
bank  stocks  that  have  suffered  a  temporary  de 
preciation.  These  cannot  now  be  sold,  except  at 
a  serious  loss,  which  the  heirs  of  the  estate  re 
fuse  to  allow.  I  cannot  afford  to  meet  the  loss. 
In  a  few  months  the  stock  will  be  up  to  par 
again  when  it  can  be  sold.  Now,  the  credit  of 
your  house  is  so  good,  that  the  agent  of  the  heirs 
is  perfectly  willing  to  take  my  notes  at  six 
months,  with  the  endorsement  of  Pinkerton  and 
Lee,  and  close  the  matter  without  the  serious 
loss  which  I  shall  otherwise  be  compelled  to  sus- 


270  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

tain.     What  say  you  ?     Can   such   a  thing  be 
done  ?" 

"  I  presume  so,"  was  the  rather  cold  reply  of 
Mr.  Pinkerton. 

"  Ah !  you  relieve  my  mind  very  much," 
quickly  spoke  out  Mr.  Allen.  "  I  made  the  re 
quest  with  great  reluctance ;  and  shall  not  •  soon 
forget  your  kind  and  prompt  response." 

"  It  will  always  give  me  pleasure  to  serve  you 
to  any  extent  in  my  power,"  said  Pinkerton, 
forcing  himself  into  the  expression  of  a  cheerful 
ness  and  cordiality  which  he  did  not  feel. 

"When  the  two  men  separated,  it  was  with 
very  different  feelings.  The  one  was  elated  by 
the  prospect  of  an  easy  exit  from  a  very  serious 
difficulty:  while  the  other  saw  a  precipitous 
mountain  suddenly  stretching  across  his  path,  to 
attempt  to  scale  which  would  be  fraught  with 
imminent  danger. 

"  How  shall  I  act  in  the  matter  ?"  This  was 
now  the  question  most  earnestly  debated  by  Pin 
kerton.  The  endorsement  had  been  promised, 
and  must  be  given.  But  was  it  to  be  given  with 
or  without  the  cognizance  of  Mr.  Lee  ?  The  les 
son  received  by  Pinkerton,  when  in  co-partner 
ship  with  Ackland,  had  never  been  forgotten. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  271 

Most  careful  had  he  been,  in  no  instance,  to  use 
the  name  of  the  present  firm  for  his  own  pur 
poses.  Now  he  was  in  a  sudden  and  altogether 
unexpected  strait.  Had  any  one  but  Mr.  Al 
len  made  the  request,  it  would  have  been  prompt 
ly  rejected.  In  this  case  the  promise  to  endorse 
paper  to  the  amount  of  six  thousand  dollars  had 
been  made  as  just  said,  and  must  be  kept. 

All  through  the  day,  Pinkerton  pondered  the 
matter — through  half  the  night  he  lay  awake, 
vainly  seeking  to  arrive  at  some  conclusion  in 
which  his  mind  could  rest  satisfied.  The  longer 
he  dwelt  on  the  subject,  the  more  reluctant 
was  he  to  ask  of  Mr.  Lee  the  privilege  of  making 
the  endorsements.  The  posssibility  of  a  refusal 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Lqe — which  would  place  him 
in  a  still  worse  dilemma,  was  the  consideration 
that  at  last  enabled  his  mind  to  reach  a  decision. 
He  determined  to  make  the  endorsements  without 
referring  the  matter  to  his  partner — and  he  did 
so.  As  he  wrote  the  name  of  the  firm  on  the 
backs  of  three  notes,  each  for  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  dollars,  there  was  a  shadow  on  his 
feelings,  and  a  gloomy  foreboding  of  coming  evil 
in  his  mind. 

And,  in  truth,  Mark  Pinkerton  had  committed 


272  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

another  great  mistake.  The  temptation  was 
strong — but  the  error  involved  none  the  less 
danger. 

Mr.  Thornhill  gained  his  object ;  and  Mr.  Al 
len  escaped  an  exposure  which  the  indignant 
Southerner  would  certainly  have  made. 

From  that  time,  new  dangers  beset  the  way  of 
Pinkerton,  new  toils  were  gathering  for  his  un 
wary  feet.  The  shrewd,  unscrupulous  man  who 
had  stooped  to  him,  was  not  the  one  to  have  so 
pliant  an  instrument  within  his  grasp,  and  not 
use  it  for  his  own  purposes.  He  had  struggled 
hard  with  pride,  ere  gaining  his  own  consent  to 
ask  the  first  favor.  That  barrier  broken  down, 
all  further  scruples  were  at  an  end. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 


IT  was  late  on  a  pleasant  afternoon  in  summer 
time,  a  few  months  after  the  Loftonshad  removed 
to  their  new  and  better  home.  Lucy  Arden  had 
called  in  to  spend  an  hour  or  two,  her  frequent 
custom.  Her  attachment  to  Mrs.  Lofton  daily 
grew  stronger.  More  and  more,  as  the  real  cha 
racter  of  the  latter  developed  in  her  new  position, 
its  purity,  strength,  sweetness,  and  native  dignity 
became  apparent,  and  she  was  quietly  gathering 
around  her  an  appreciating  few  from  the  best 
social  circles  in  the  city  ;  and  these  were  drawing 
her  forth  as  opportunities  occurred,  from  her 
happy  seclusion,  so  that  she  might  be  seen  and 
known  and  justly  valued. 


274  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

The  sentiment  felt  for  Mrs.  Lofton  by  Lucy 
Arden,  was  that  of  the  purest  affection ;  a  day 
spent  with  her  always  shone  brightest  in  the 
calendar. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  as  we  have  said, 
and  Mrs.  Lofton  and  Miss  Arden  sat  engaged  in 
such  earnest  conversation  that  the  rapid  flight 
of  time  was  unnoticed. 

"  Bless  me !"  suddenly  exclaimed  Lucy.  "  Who 
is  that?" 

The  rattle  of  a  latch-key  was  heard  in  the  door, 
and  a  moment  after  the  voices  and  footsteps  of 
Mr.  Lofton  and  his  partner  were  heard  in  the 
passage. 

"  I  never  dreamed  it  was  so  late  !"  said  Lucy, 
a  gentle  flush  giving  a  new  beauty  to  her  counte 
nance.  "  I  must  be  away  in  a  twinkling. " 

"  No — no,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Lofton,  laying  her 
hand  upon  the  arm  of  Lucy.  "  You  can't  go  now. 
Stay  and  take  tea  with  us." 

"  0,  dear,  no  !  Not  this  evening.  I  must  run 
away  home.  Ma  is  wondering  now  what  is  keep 
ing  me  so  late." 

Lucy  was  rising  with  these  words  on  her  lips, 
when  Mr.  Lofton  and  Mr.  Ackland  entered  the 
sitting-room. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  275 

"  Miss  Arden  !"  exclaimed  the  former,  coming 
forward  quickly  and  grasping  her  hand.  "  This 
is  really  an  unexpected  pleasure." 

Mr.  Ackland  met  the  young  lady  with  less 
freedom  of  speech  and  manner,  but  evidently  with 
no  less  of  real  gratification.  Lucy's  face  showed 
a  still  warmer  hue  as  she  took  his  offered  hand, 
and  her  eyes  fell  softly  to  the  floor  beneath  the 
gaze  he  fixed  upon  her 

"  I  was  saying  to  Ellen  only  yesterday,"  re 
marked  Mr.  Lofton,  "  that  I  was  fearful  you  were 
offended  with  me." 

"  Offended  with  you,  Mr.  Lofton  !  How  could 
you  think  so  ?"  returned  the  young  lady. 

"  Do  you  imagine  that  I  have  forgotten  the 
pleasant  time  we  used  to  have  around  the  tea 
table  ?  No — no,  Miss  Arden.  There's  something 
the  matter.  But,  are  you  not  offended  with  me? 
Come,  tell  me.  An  'honest  confession' — you  know 
the  rest."- 

"  Why,  how  strangely  you  talk,  Mr.  Lofton. 
Offended  with  you !  What  cause  of  offence  have 
you  given?" 

"Just  what  I  would  like  to  know,"  said  Lofton 
pleasantly.  "But,  come,  be  seated  again." 


270  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"Thank  you;  I  was  just  going  as  you  came 
in." 

"  Indeed,  and  you  are  not  going  at  all  until 
after  tea." 

"  O,  but  I  must  go,"  returned  Lucy  quickly. 
"  They  will  expect  me  at  home." 

"  They  know  where  you  are. 

«  Yes  " 

"  All  right,  then.  They  know  you  are  in  good 
hands,  and  will  not  be  in  the  least  uneasy  at  your 
absence.  So  you  must  stay.  We — or  at  least  I 
— have  been  so  long  deprived  of  your  good  com 
pany,  that  I  must  claim  the  pleasure  of  it  for  at 
least  one  evening." 

To  this,  Mrs.  Lofton  and  Mr.  Ackland  added 
their  persuasions,  and  Lucy,  unable  to  escape, 
consented  to  remain.  In  her  heart,  she  was  more 
pleased  at  being  so  detained,  than  she  would  have 
been,  if  suffered  to  depart. 

It  was  a  little  remarkable  that  neither  Lucy 
Arden  nor  Mr.  Ackland  were  so  much  at  their 
ease  as  usual.  Both  seemed  under  slight  re 
straint  ;  and  yet  both,  it  was  evident,  were  pleased 
to  be  near  each  other.  Oftener  than  he  was,  per 
haps,  himself  aware,  the  eyes  of  Mr.  Ackland 
sought  the  maiden's  lovely  countenance ;  and  each 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  277 

time  they  rested  thereon,   every  lineament   of 
beauty  seemed  heightened. 

For  the  first  time,  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lofton 
became  aware  of  the  state  of  feeling  existing  be 
tween  Lucy  and  Mr.  Ackland ;  and  they  now  un 
derstood  many  things  which  had  before  seemed 
to  them  a  little  strange.  How  were  they  affected 
by  the  discovery  ?  We  answer,  pleasantly.  None 
knew  better  than  they  the  high  moral  character 
of  the  one,  or  the  loveliness,  purity,  and^womanly 
virtue  of  the  other.  None  knew  so  well  how  ad 
mirably  they  were  suited  for  a  happy  union. 
Never,  in  the  least  particular,  had  Mr.  or  Mrs . 
Lofton  sought  to  turn  the  thoughts  of  one  upon 
the  other.  That  was  a  responsibility  they  could 
not  venture  to  take.  But  now,  that  a  mutual  in 
terest  became  all  at  once  apparent  to  their  eyes, 
the  feeling  of  pleasure  it  awakened  was  intense. 

Ackland,  whose  thoughts  had  for  months  been 
gradually  going  forth  towards  Lucy  Arden,  had 
never,  before  this  occasion,  been  able  to  see  deep 
enough  into  the  young  lady's  heart  to  find  even  a 
dim  reflection  of  his  own  image.  The  discovery 
now  made,  that  it  was  really  there,  was  as  the 
breaking  upon  his  life  of  a  new  morning.  From 
that  time  he  became  a  regular  visitor  at  the  house 


278  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

of  Mr.  Arden,  and  by  no  means  an  unwelcome 
one  to  any.  Mr.  Arden,  the  moment  he  saw 
that  between  the  young  man  and  his  daughter 
existed  a  mutal  interest,  called  upon  Mr.  Lofton, 
stated  to  him  the  fact,  and  asked,  in  strict  con 
fidence,  his  honest  opinion  of  his  partner's  charac 
ter,  and  his  views  of  his  fitness  to  make  one  like 
Lucy  a  wise  and  good  husband.  The  answer 
was  prompt,  and  all  that  he  could  desire. 

In  this  case,  at  least,  the  poet  to  the  contrary 
notwithstanding,  the  current  of  "  true  love  did 
run  smooth."  There  was  not  a  ripple  in  its  flow 
that  did  not  reflect  the  joyous  sunlight — nor  a 
widening  of  its  surface  beneath  the  shadow  of 
overhanging  trees,  where  hearts  might  not  re 
pose  and  dream  of  a  happy  future.  We  will  not 
trace  its  peaceful  current.  Enough  for  the  reader 
that  the  good  time  came  when  heart  leaped  to 
heart  with  a  passionate  thrill,  as  the  soft  hand  of 
the  bride  was  laid  in  that  of  the  bridegroom,  and 
the  voice  of  the  minister  floated  on  the  air  above 
the  hushed  assembly,  in  the  impressive  injunc 
tion — "  What  God  hath  joined  together,  let  not 
man  put  asunder." 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


PASS  we  now  over  a  period  of  six  years,  with 
but  brief  mention  of  intervening  occurrences.  The 
reader  will  not  be  much  surprised  to  hear  that 
on  the  maturity  of  the  notes  given  to  Mr.  Thorn- 
hill,  the  father-in-law  of  Pinkerton  was  unable 
to  lift  them,  and  that,  in  order  to  save  the  credit 
of  the  firm,  and  prevent  the  fact  of  his  endorse 
ment  from  becoming  known  to  his  partner,  the 
latter  had  to  raise  the  means  of  payment.  This 
he  did  not  find  a  very  difficult  matter,  as  he  was 
now  Director  in  one  new  Bank,  and  in  two 
Savings  Fund  Associations,  besides  having  an  ac 
quaintance  with  three  or  four  shrewd  money  spe- 


280  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

culators,  who  were  quietly  involving  him  in  their 
toils,  with  a  view  to  using  him  extensively  in  the 
time  to  come.  He  had,  therefore,  only  to  take 
Mr.  Allen's  notes  for  the  sum  needed,  place 
on  them  his  own  endorsement,  and  get  a  friend, 
who  would  ask  as  much  from  him,  to  add  his 
name  also,  in  order  to  procure  all  that  was 
needed.  He  had  a  "  friend  at  court,"  in  more 
than  one  bank,  or  moneyed  institution,  who  was 
always  ready  to  get  through  any  papor  that  he 
chose  to  offer,  up  to  a  certain  amount ;  a  favor 
that  he  was  careful,  when'Opportunity  offered,  to 
reciprocate. 

In  these  money  speculations  of  his  son-in-law, 
Mr.  Allen  was  quick  to  perceive  the  means  of 
serving,  materially,  his  own  ends. 

The  rage  for  banks  and  paper  money  had  not 
yet  reached  its  height ;  but  a  few,  who  saw  how 
readily  this  kind  of  machinery  could  be  made  to 
serve  individual  interest,  were  securing  as  ex 
tensive  connexions  as  possible  with  organizations 
based  mainly  upon  credit  and  confidence. — 
Among  those  who  early  saw  the  advantages  of 
these  connexions,  was  Mr.  Allen ;  and  he  did  not 
see  it  clearly  until,  from  being  unable  to  take 
up  his  notes  to  Mr.  Thornhill,  he  became  aware 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  231 

of  some  of  the  facilities  for  raising  money  out  of 
his  business,  possessed  by  his  son-in-law.  From 
that  moment,  he  did  not  rest  until  he  procured, 
through  adroit  management,  his  election  to  the 

office  of  President  of Savings  Fund,  an 

institution  professing  to  have  in  view  only  the 
advantage  of  mechanics  and  working-men,  yet  in 
the  hands  of  a  set  of  individuals  who  were 
utterly  unscrupulous  as  to  the  means  they 
employed  to  secure  their  own  ends. 

So  much  had  Mr.  Allen  gained  through  Pink- 
erton.  But,  from  that  time,  he  was  to  become  the 
leader  and  teacher..  He  certainly  had  a  more 
suggestive  and  expansive  mind  than  the  latter — 
was  bolder  and  less  scrupulous — understood 
human  nature  better — saw  the  modes  by 
which  relations  with  moneyed  men  could  be  ex 
tended,  large  facilities  obtained,  and  immense 
profits  secured.  Pinkerton  was  to  become  a  tool 
in  his  hands,  and  no  very  long  time  passed  before 
he  was  inextricably  involved  in  transactions — 
mostly  with  stocks — to  a  very  large  amount. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  house  of  Pinkerton  & 
Lee  continued  to  do  a  large  and  increasing  busi 
ness,  and  to  make  heavy  profits.  The  mental 
activity  of  Pinkerton  increased  with  the  increas- 


282  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

ing  demands  upon  his  thought.  His  mind  was 
always  on  the  alert,  and  quick  in  the  dispatch  of 
everything  that  presented  itself  for  consideration 
Upon  nearly  all  with  whom  he  was  brought  into 
.  association,  he  made  an  impression  favorable  to 
his  business  capacity  ;  and  this  not  only  because 
he  could  talk  shrewdly  ~on  business  themes,  but 
because  he  was  always  confident,  always  san 
guine,  and  business  men,  just  at  that  time,  had 
faith  in  those  who  had  faith  in  themselves. 

It  is  in  no  way  surprising,  that  the  general 
impression  in  regard  to  Pinkerton,  should  be 
adopted  by  his  partner,  notwithstanding  many 
things  in  the  business,  and  in  the  private  move 
ments  and  operations  of  the  former,  did  not 
accord  with  the  unbiased  views  of  Mr.  Lee. 
But,  it  was  only  necessary  for  him  to  question  or 
object,  to  be  completely  flooded  with  reasons  in 
favor  of  what  Mr.  Pinkerton  was  doing  or  wished 
to  do.  And  so  he  was  carried  along  in  the  progres 
sive  movement,  conscious  most  of  the  time  that 
he  gave  to  it  but  a  small  impetus. 

A  year  sufficed  to  make  it  clearly  apparent, 
both  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pinkerton  that  their  new 
residence  on  Charles  street  was  by  no  means  to 
be  regarded  as  a  model  of  imposing  elegance. 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  283 

Daily  it  grew  meaner  in  their  eyes,  until  until  Mrs. 
Pinkerton  almost  blushed  when  certain  of  her 
fashionable  acquaintances  called  to  see  her.  If 
his  ideas  of  a  residence  had  not  wonderfully  ex 
panded  during  this  time,  Pinkerton  would  now 
have  felt  himself  abundantly  able  to  build.  But 
these  ideas  were  very  much  enlarged.  Five  or 
six  thousand  dollars,  at  the  time  of  his  removal 
into  Charles  street,  wouJd  have  built  him  a  house 
in  every  way  equal  to  his  desires ;  but  twice  the 
sum  now  would  scarcely  have  proved  sufficient. 
So  large  an  amount  he  could  not  command,  and 
so  the  building  of  a  house  had  still  to  be  de 
ferred.  Mrs.  Pinkerton  proposed  another  removal 
— but,  to  this  her  husband  objected.  The  matter 
was  compromised  by  re-furnishing  in  a  most 
expensive  manner.  The  cost  of  this,  Mr.  Pinker- 
ton  defrayed  outside  of  the  business,  as  he  had 
now  various  stock  speculations  on  hand,  and 
was  using  his  individual  credit  pretty  freely, 
and  in  rather  a  dangerous  way.  So  far  fortune 
had  been  in  his  favor.  His  operations  were 
usually  profitable — a  fact  set  down  in  his  mind  to 
his  own  shrewdness ;  and  this  made  him  bolder 
and  more  confident. 

And  so  things  went  on,  expanding  year  after 


284  SPAKING    TO    SPEND. 

year,  the  under-current  of  expense  steadily  in-, 
creasing  in  velocity,  until  Mr.  Pinkerton's  ambi 
tion,  stimulated  by  that  of  his  wife,  would  be 
satisfied  with  nothing  less  than  a  residence  of  his 
own.  He  was  tired  of  living  in  houses  paid  for 
by  other  people's  money.  Whatever  was  around 
him,  he  wished  to  call  his  own. 

During  these  five  or  six  years  of  rapid  progress, 
quite  a  change  in  the  fortunes  of  Mr.  Allen  had 
occurred.  That  gentleman  had  discovered  a 
royal  road  to  opulence,  and  he  was  moving  along 
with  rapidly  advancing  feet.  As  the  President  of 
the Savings'  Fund,  he  had  been  brought  in 
to  connexion  with  a  class  of  men  who  found  in  him 
the  very  qualities  that  could  be  used  to  mutual 
advantage.  The  cue  they  gave  him  he  was  ready 
to  take.  For  a  time  he  worked  for  them,  and 
served  them  primarily ;  but  they  had  dealt 
cards  to  a  skilful  player,  and  one  who  would 
never  rest  until  he  had  the  advantage  in  the 
game.  Primarily,  in  the  end,  he  worked  for 
himself.  The  advantage  once  on  his  side,  he 
was  careful  to  retain  it  afterwards. 

The  stock  and  money  operations  of  Pinkerton, 
outside  of  his  business,  and  in  connexion  with 


SPARING    TO    SPEXD.  285 

Mr.  Allen,  had  increased  to  an  enormous  extent, 
far  beyond  what  Mr.  Lee  imagined,  even  remotely. 

In  these  operations,  the  endorsement  of  the 
firm  was  used  freely  and  without  the  knowledge 
or  consent  of  Pinkerton's  partner,  who  had  not 
the  least  suspicion  of  the  extent  to  which  he  was 
implicated. 

Mr.  Allen,  as  we  have  said,  had  discovered  a 
royal  road  to  opulence.  He  was  no  longer  depen 
dent  on  professional  fees,  nor  under  the  necessity 
of  appropriating  the  proceeds  of  estates  that  came 
into  his  hands  for  his  own  private  purposes.  A 
series  of  fortunate  speculations  had  elevated  him 
far  above  this  embarrassing  position,  and  he 
could  now  look  the  world  in  the  face  with  as 
confident  an  air  as  any.  He  did  not  hesitate  to 
call  himself  worth  sixty  or  seventy  thousand 
dollars,  nor  to  indulge  the  pleasing  anticipation 
of  one  day  being  the  possessor  of  half  a  million 
of  money.  This  being  the  case,  it  was  the  most 
natural  thing  in  the  world  for  Mr.  Allen  to  get 
the  building  fever  from  his  son-in-law  and 
daughter.  He  must  also  have  an  elegant  resi 
dence  of  his  own.  The  thought  scarcely  grew 
active,  before  the  purpose  was  confirmed.  What 
followed  came  naturally.  Mr.  Allen  and  his 


286  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

son-in-law  would  build  side  by  side,  in  uniform 
style,  and  at  equal  cost.  Their  houses  were  to 
be  somewhat  imposing  in  appearance — ostenta 
tious  pride  demanded  this.  The  outside  estimate 
of  each  was  twenty  thousand  dollars — this  exclu 
sive  of  the  furnishing.  In  regard  to  the  latter,  the 
ideas  of  both  parties  were  yet  vague ;  but,  in  the 
mind  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  certain  fancies  were  in 
play,  that  had  a  very  decided  French  coloring. 


CHAPTER     XXVI  I  . 


LOTS  were  bought  for  the  two  dwellings,  plans 
and  estimates  obtained,  and  the  work  of  erection 
commenced. 

Mr.  Allen  and  Mr.  Pinkerton  were  both  pre 
sent  when  the  first  stroke  of  the  pickaxe  was 
made  in  the  earth  that  was  to  give  place  for  the 
foundations  of  their  elegant  houses.  Neither  of 
them,  however,  experienced  the  high  degree  of 
satisfaction  they  had  anticipated — for,  within  a 
week,  certain  cards  they  had  played  with  a  con 
fidence  made  bold  by  repeated  good  fortune, 
turned  up  unfavorably.  Even  small  successes, 
give  to  the  mind  a  degree  of  confidence ;  opposite 
is  the  effect  of  reverses,  however  lightly  they  may 
affect  a  man's  prosperity.  The  losses  sustained 


288  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

by  Mr.  Allen  and  his  son-in-law  were  not  of  a 
serious  nature — not  sufficient  in  themselves  to 
damp  the  ardor  of  their  building  excitement. — 
But,  they  caused  their  minds  to  be  infested  with 
doubts  and  questionings — produced  a  sense  of 
insecurity — a  consciousness  that  the  ground  upon 
which  they  had  been  standing  with  such  an  assu 
rance  of  stability,  was  not  so  firm  as  they  had 
fondly  imagined  it  to  be. 

Pinkerton  had  returned  to  his  store,  and  was 
absorbed  in  business,  when  a  note  came  from  Mr. 
Allen,  asking  him  to  step  round  to  his  office  im 
mediately,  as  he  had  something  of  importance  to 
communicate.  The  request  was  at  once  obeyed. 

"  Bad  news,"  said  Mr.  Allen,  the  moment  his 
son-in-law  entered. 

"  What  ?"  eagerly  enquired  the  young  man. 

"  I  have  a  letter  from  Mr.  Eldridge." 

"  He  has  arrived  out,  then  ?" 

"  Yes,  and  his  report  is  discouraging  enough." 

"  Are  they  not  working  the  mine  ?" 

"  No.  The  man  we  sent  out  to  put  up  and 
run  the  engine,  went  no  further  than  Yera  Cruz. 
He  had  a  good  offer  there,  and  broke  his  engage 
ment  with  the  company.  After  many  delays  the 
engine  was  taken  to  the  mines  at  an  expense 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  289 

«j^ual  to  the  original  cost.  The  only  machinist 
who  could  be  found  willing  to  go  there,  was  a 
drunken  fellow,  who,  after  reaching  the  ground, 
proved  utterly  incompetent  for  the  work  he 
had  engaged  to  do.  He  was  over  a  month  in 
getting  the  engine  in  its  place  and  in  motion. — 
Then,  to  put  the  cap-sheaf  to  these  drawbacks  and 
disasters,  it  was  found  that  the  pump  would  not 
discharge  per  minute,  over  half  the  quantity  of 
water  that  was  flowing  into  the  mine  from  the 
large  vein  which  had  so  unfortunately  been  opened 
by  the  miners  in  sinking  a  shaft." 

"  Most  disastrous  !"  exclaimed  Pinkerton. 

u  A  result  for  which  I  was  altogether  unpre 
pared,"  said  Mr.  Allen.  "  Just  to  think,  that 
one  of  the  richest  silver  mines  in  Mexico  should 
be  rendered  useless  by  this  failure.  Not  the  least 
doubt  had  I,  that  the  miners  were  already  among 
the  rich  deposits,  and  that  liberal  shipments  of 
the  precious  ore  were  on  their  way  to  this  country. 
Yesterday  I  refused  sixty  dollars  a  share  for  two 
hundred  shares.  When  this  intelligence  is  known, 
they  will  not  bring  five  dollars-." 

'(  Has  Eldridge  written  to  any  one  else  ?"  en 
quired  Pinkerton,  with  a  meaning  hi  his  tones 

that  was  well  understood, 
13 


•i90  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  Of  that  I  am  in  ignorance.  As  the  secretary 
of  the  company,  all  official  correspondence  comes 
through  me,  but  he  has  several  friends  here  in 
terested  in  the  stock,  and  without  doubt  has 
promptly  communicated  with  them." 

While  he  was  yet  speaking,  a  gentleman  came 
in  somewhat  hurriedly.  Mr.  Allen  knew  him  to 
be  one  of  the  individuals  to  whom  he  had  just 
made  reference. 

"  Have  you  anything  from  the  agent  of  the 
Ixcotel  mines  ?"  he  enquired,  affecting  a  careless 
ness  of  tone  which  did  not  deceive  his  auditors. 

"Nothing,"  was  the  cool  reply  of  Mr.  Allen. 

"  How  is  the  stock  selling  now  ?" 

"  I  hold  mine  at  sixty-one,"  said  Mr.  Allen. 

"  Will  you  buy  at  sixty  ?" 

'  Yes.    How  many  shares  have  you  ?" 

"  Forty." 

"  Very  well ;  I'll  take  them.  Have  the  transfer 
made  in  the  course  of  the  day.  To-morrow  I  will 
hand  you  a  check  for  the  amount." 

"  Would  it  not  be  convenient  to-day  ?"  asked 
the  man.  "  I  have  some  large  payments  to  make." 

"  Not  exactly  convenient,"  replied  Mr.  Allen. 
'  I  have  already  checked  out  my  balance.  But 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  291 

several  notes  will  be  paid  in  to  my  credit  during 
the  day." 

A  memorandum  of  the  transaction  was  made, 
and  the  man  departed. 

'I  don't  understand  that,"  said  Piukerton, 
looking  at  his  father-in-law  with  a  troubled  as 
pect. 

"  It  is  clear  that  he  has  received  news  from 
Eldridge." 

."  No  doubt  of  it  in  the  world,"  replied  Pinker- 
ton. 

"  It  is  also  now  clear  that  until  to-morrow  he 
will  keep  his  own  secret." 

"  I  see — I  see.  We  are  safe  until  then,  so  far 
as  he  is  concerned."  Pinkerton  spoke  with  ani 
mation. 

"  We  must  not  be  the  owners  of  a  share  of  the 
stock  at  the  going  down  of  the  sun  to-day,"  said 
Mr.  Allen,  resolutely. 

"  Not  a  share !"  responded  the  young  man. 

"  Whatever  is  done,  Mark,  must  be  done  quick 
ly.  Not  a  moment  is  to  be  lost.  And  yet,  the 
utmost  circumspection  must  be  used.  I  had  better 
manage  the  whole  business;  for  I  am  cooler  than 
you.  Here,  execute  this  power  of  attorney,  au 
thorizing  me  to  sell  your  '  Ixcotel  Silver  Mine 


292  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

Stock :'  and  then  go  back  to  your  store.  "We  must 
not  be  seen  together  again  to-day,  or  we  may  be 
charged  with  collusion  in  the  matter.  "When  the 
truth  is  known,  there  will  be  a  buzzing  in  the 
hive ;  but  we  must  be  secure  from  the  stings.  As 
for  our  friend  who  has  just  left  us,  we  can  afford 
to  pay  for  his  stock  in  the  morning  if  we  sell  our 
four  hundred  shares  to-day.  And  then,  the  fact 
that  I  bought  on  that  date,  will  be  a  good  offset 
to  the  fact  of  selling  on  this,  and  will  be  regarded 
as  conclusive  evidence  that  I  was  not  in  posses 
sion  of  any  disastrous  intelligence." 

"I  see — you  can  teach  me  in  these  matters," 
said  Pinkerton.  "  So  I  will  leave  all  in  your 
hands." 

The  two  men  now  parted.  At  five  o'clock  they 
met  again. 

"  What  news  ?"  asked  Pinkerton,  earnestly. 

"  All  right,"  was  the  cheerful  response.  "  Every 
share  sold." 

•"  Good  !"  Pinkerton  clapped  his  hand  to 
gether  joyfully. 

"  And  what  is  better,"  added  Mr.  Allen,  "  I 
have  also  sold  the  forty  shares  which  I  am  to  pay 
for  to-morrow,  and  have  the  note  therefor  in  my 
pocket." 


SPARING    TO     SPKNlJ.  293 

"  All  safe  !  How  rny  mind  is  relieved  !  But 
the  danger  was  most  imminent.  These  transac 
tions  are  attended  with  fearful  risks  sometimes." 

"  So  they  are,  Mark,  and  also  with  liberal  gains. 
Just  look  at  the  advantage  in  the  present  case. 
We  bought^t  twenty  dollars  a  share,  and  have 
sold  at  sixij? — a  clear  gain  of  sixteen  thousand 
dollars.  I  should  like  to  see  one  of  your  mercan 
tile  operations  pay  like  that." 

Pinkerton  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  looked 
well-pleased  at  the  "  exhibit"  of  his  father-in  law. 

On  the  next  morning  one  of  the  papers  con 
tained  this  paragraph  : 

"  We  learn,  from  reliable  authority,  that  the 
steam-pump  sent  out  to  the  silver-mine  in  Mexico 
by  the  Ixcotel  company  has  failed  to  answer  the 
proposed  end." 

Down  went  the  stock  from  sixty  to  ten  dollars 
a  share,  the  depression  ruining  two  or  three  indi 
viduals  who  had  i-isked  all  they  were  worth  in 
the  stock.  Of  the  shares  sold  by  Mr.  Allen,  one 
hundred  were  purchased  by  a  gentleman  as  an 
investment  for  a  widow  under  the  assurance 
that  it  would  pay  at  least  ten  per  cent,  and  in  all 
probability,  twenty.  It  was  her  all ! 

To  screen  himself  from  suspicion  Mr.   Allen 


294  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

pretended  still  to  be  the  holder  of  a  large  number 
of  shares,  and  of  course  one  of  the  losers.  And 
he  did  not  escape  entirely  free  of  loss.  One  of  the 
purchasers  of  the  very  stock  he  threw  into  market, 
who  was  ruined  by  the  transaction,  owed  him 
five  thousand  dollars,  of  which  he  never  received 
a  copper.  The  final  result,  therefor^  was  not  so 
pleasant  as  he  had  anticipated. 

As  for  the  Ixcotel  mine,  it  has  remained  flooded 
until  this  day  ;  and  will  probably  so  remain  for 
as  long  a  time  to  come. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 


THE  incident  of  the  Ixcotel  Mining  Company 
will  give  the  reader  some  idea  as  to  the  kind  of 
operations  in  which  Mr.  Allen  was  engaged ;  and 
how  he  was  a  party  in  transactions  that  truly 
honest  men  would  not  hesitate  to  stigmatize  as 
swindling.  It  will  also  be  seen  that  both  he  and 
his  son-in-law,  with  all  their  unscrupulous  shrewd 
ness — with  all  their  reputation  for  wealth  and 
stability — were  treading  on  very  dangerous 
ground.  In  their  own  minds  they  had  greatly 
over-estimated  their  real  wealth  ;  and  in  determin 
ing  to  erect  for  themselves  costly  dwellings,  had 
committed  a  serious  error. 

Pinkerton,  however,  felt  very  safe  in  the  mat 
ter.  So  fortunate  had  been  his  stock  and  other 


290  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

speculations  carried  on  in  connexion  with  Mr. 
Allen,  that  he  felt  himself  perfectly  able  to  spend 
twenty  thousand  dollars  on  his  house,  and  not 
draw  anything  from  bis  business.  And  yet,  his 
purchase  of  ground  was  made  on  time;  and  his 
first  instalment  to  the  builder,  who  was  under 
contract  for  the  erection  of  his  new  house,  was  a 
note  at  four  months  for  two  thousand  dollars. 
Money  could  be  used  to  too  great  advantage  in 
stock  speculations  to  be  paid  away  for  work  or 
building  materials,  when  notes  of  hand  could  be 
made  to  answer  just  as  well. 

Mr.  Allen  proceeded  on  the  same  plan ;  and  to 
enable  the  builder  to  get  his  notes  discounted 
readily,  he  procured  Mr.  Pinkerton's  endorse 
ment;  and  in  return,  endorsed  Mr.  Pinkerton's 
notes  for  a  like  purpose.  In  fact,  their  affairs  were 
BO  involved,  one  within  the  other,  that  at  times 
they  seemed  to  have  but  a  common  interest. 

This  giving  of  notes  for  material  and  workman 
ship  answered  very  well  for  a  time.  But,  as  the 
buildings  progressed  rapidly,  by  the  end  of  six 
months  our  two  gentlemen  found  the  sums  ne 
cessary  to  be  withdrawn  from  their  somewhat 
involved  money  operations,  and  laid  down  irre 
coverably  in  bricks  and  mortar,  rather  inconve- 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  297 

nient  to  raise;  and  it  almost  invariably  happened 
that  to  procure  these  sums  they  were  obliged  to 
sell  off  shares  of  stock  in  a  depressed  state  of 
the  market. 

Fancy  stocks  were  then  quite  as  plenty  as  now ; 
and  galvanized  banks,  situate  in  places  remote 
from  the  great  money  vortices,  as  favorite  means 
of  swindling  the  public.  Then,  as  now,  gambling 
transactions  in  this  class  of  stocks,  and  with  these 
dead-and-alive  banks,  was  a  precarious  business, 
and  the  shrewdest  and  most  far  seeing  were  often 
thrown  suddenly  to  the  wall.  In  the  very  midst 
of  their  building  operations,  and  at  a  time  when 
both  Mr.  Allen  and  Mr.  Pinkerton  began  to  feel 
the  drain  in  this  direction  to  be  a  most  exhausting 
one,  a  certain  bank,  in  the  stock  of  which  they 
had  each  ten  thousand  dollars  invested,  and  on 
which  the  advance  had  been  steady  for  some 
weeks,  suddenly  closed  its  doors.  Perfectly  aware 
had  they  been  of  the  entire  unsoundness  of  this 
bank,  and  of  the  necessity  of  its  early  failure. 
But  they,  with  a  few  others,  had  put  in  circula 
tion,  false  but  specious  reports  touching  its  re 
sources,  in  order  to  advance  the  stock.  The 
maximum  rate  to  which  they  aimed  to  bring  this 
stock  was  nearly  reached,  and  they  were  about 


298  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

selling  at  a  handsome  profit,  when  the  inevitable 
disaster  came.  It  was  only  meet  that  they  should 
be  joint  sufferers  with  those  they  had  been  such 
active  agents  in  wronging. 

It  so  happened,  that  in  the  case  of  both  Mr. 
Allen  and  Mr.  Pinkerton,  the  stock  was  under 
hypothecation  for  considerable  loans,  which  were 
about  becoming  due,  and  which  the  sale  of  the 
stock  was  to  liquidate.  The  immediate  produc 
tion  of  a  large  sum  of  money  was,  therefore, 
rendered  necessary.  It  would  not  do  to  show  the 
smallest  degree  of  hesitation,  or  to  seem  in  any 
way  embarrassed  by  the  failure  of  the  bank. — 
This  would  only  weaken  their  credit,  and  render 
their  condition  the  more  precarious.  But  to 
maintain  a  good  position — to  let  all  seem  entirely 
fair  to  the  public — sacrifices  of  a  most  serious 
character  had  to  be  made. 

Had  the  question  of  building  now  been  an  open 
one,  the  decision  would  have  been  instant,  and 
in  the  negative.  But,  every  thing  was  in  ac 
tive  progress,  and  must  be  carried  through.  To 
suspend  operations  would  be  to  create  suspicion 
that  all  might  not  be  as  well  with  them  as  the 
public  had  imagined.  More  paper  had,  there 
fore,  to  be  created,  and  new  schemes  of  raising 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  299 

money  devised  In  order  to  meet  a  suddenly  oc 
curring  exigency,  Pinkerton  was  drawn  aside  in 
to  the  error  which  led  to  a  dissolution  of  his 
first  co-partnership.  In  this  case,  however,  he 
exercised  a  shrewder  forethought.  Instead  of  is 
suing  the  notes  of  Pinkerton  &  Lee  for  discount, 
and  so  losing  control  of  them,  ha  obtained,  for 
half  per  cent,  a  month,  the  post  notes  of  a  cer 
tain  institution,  the  credit  of  which  was  good, 
and  deposited  firm  notes  as  collateral  security  for 
his  individual  paper.  If  his  own  notes  were 
paid  at  maturity,  the  existence  of  the  collateral 
would  not,  of  course,  become  known  to  his  part 
ner.  It  would  come  back  into  his  possession  and 
be  destroyed. 

The  first  transaction  covered  the  sum  of  five 
thousand  dollars — and  it  was  made  with  such 
ease,  and  apparent  safety,  that  it  only  served  as  a 
temptation  to  take  further  steps  on  the  dangerous 
road.  The  cost  of  these  transactions  was,  how 
ever,  rather  a  heavy  item.  To  obtain  the  post 
notes  of  the  Maryland  Insurance  Company,  six 
per  cent,  per  annum  had  to  be  paid ;  and  from 
six  to  twelve  per  cent,  more  was  abstracted  from 
the  post  notes  before  they  were  turned  into  cash 

At  such  sacrifices  was  money  now  obtained  to 


300  Sr-AUI.XG    TO    SPLND. 

carry  ou  the  building  operations  of  both  Mr. 
Pinkerton  and  his  father-in-law.  But,  the  erec 
tion  of  their  elegant  edifices,  now  more  than  two- 
thirds  completed,  must  go  on,  even  though  the  en 
vied  owners  thereof  had  lost  all  pleasure  therein. 
The  longer  this  drain  upon  their  resources  con 
tinued,  the  more  did  they  become  oppressed  with 
an  exhausting  sense  of  inability ;  and  the  more 
earnest — we  might  say,  desperate — became  their 
struggles  to  sustain  themselves.  How  little  did 
the  public  imagine,  as  they  admired  the  two  man 
sions,  that  grew  up  in  beautiful  order  and  har 
mony  of  proportion,  under  the  hands  of  a  skil 
ful  architect,  and  more  than  half  envied  the 
wealthy  owners  thereof,  that,-  when  the  last 
stroke  of  the  painter's  brush  had  been  given,  and 
all  was  ready  for  the  upholsterer  and  the  cabinet 
maker,  each  was  burdened  with  a  heavy  mort 
gage.  Without  this,  the  building  must  have 

been  suspended. 

/ 
Yes,  all  was  completed  at  the  last ;   and  at  a 

cost,  in  each  case,  of  five  thousand  dollars  beyond 
the  original  estimate.  Fifty  thousand  dollars  had 
been  absorbed  in  the  two  buildings.  Months  be 
fore  their  completion,  the  subject  of  furniture 
came  up  for  earnest  discussion  between  Mr.  and 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  301 

Mrs.  Pinkerton.  The  ideas  of  the  former  were  far 
from  being  as  liberal  as  in  the  beginning,  and  very 
far  from  Corresponding  with  those  of  his  wife.  She 
had  set  her  heart  upon  ordering  their  parlor  fur 
niture  from  Paris — and,  as  she  had  talked  very 
freely  on  the  subject  to  all  her  fashionable  ac 
quaintances,  and  given  out  that  they  would  cer 
tainly  have  French  furniture,  she  urged  the  mat 
ter  with  a  degree  of  fervor  that  quite  troubled 
her  husband,  who  had  begun  to  inspect,  some 
what  curiously,  the  furniture  already  in  posses 
sion,  to  see  how  far  it  would  answer  for  the  new 
dwelling. 

In  spite  of  the  remonstrances,  tears  and  per 
suasions  of  his  wife,  Pinkerton  refused  to  give  an 
order  for  Paris  furniture.  A  most  unhappy  time 
he  had  of  it  for  weeks  afterwards.  Poor  Mrs. 
Pinkerton  was  almost  heart-broken.  The  bitter 
ness  of  her  disappointment  passed  away  at  last, 
though  she  remained  very  sober.  When  suffi 
ciently  recovered  from  her  affliction,  she  yielded 
to  her  husband's  repeated  solicitations,  and 
finally  consented  to  accompany  him  to  New 
York,  where  a  most  liberal  order  was  given  to  a 
fashionable  cabinet-maker.  Bather  serious  did 
Mark  Pinkerton  feel,  as  on  his  way  back  to  Bal- 


302  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

timore,  he  mentally  summed  up  the  prices  of  the 
various  articles  ordered,  and  brooded  in  silence 
over  the  heavy  aggregate.  The  mother  of  Mrs. 
Pinkerton,  who  had  lived  longer,  and  seen  more 
of  the  ups  and  downs  of  life,  did  not  approve 
the  unbecoming  extravagance  of  her  daughter, 
and  offered  some  slight  opposition  to  her  will. 
But,  this  was  entirely  disregarded.  The  pride 
and  ambition  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton  had  grown  into 
inordinate  strength,  and  there  was  little  hope  of 
their  ever  being  fully  satisfied. 

It  did  not  escape  the  observation  of  Mr.  Lee, 
that  his  partner's  mind  was  becoming  more  and 
more  abstracted  from  his  business  ;  nor  did  he  fail 
to  note,  that  his  periods  of  absence  from  the  store 
were  getting  longer  and  more  frequent.  He  was 
also  aware  that  Mr.  Pinkerton's  drafts  of  money 
were  getting  to  be  heavy  beyond  any  precedent. 
The  fact  of  his  building — a  thing  that  Mr.  Lee 
opposed  in  the  beginning — readily  accounted  for 
this.  Occasionally  a  whisper  would  reach  his 
ears,  awakening  the  suspicion  that  everything 
might  not  be  right  with  his  partner.  On  all  this 
he  pondered  deeply. 

"  No  business,"  he  would  say  to  himself,  "  will 
bear  the  exhausting  drain  to  which  a  man  like 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  303 

Pinkerton  must  subject  it.  His  ideas  are  ever  in 
advance  of  him.  To  think  of  building  at  a  cost  of 
twenty-five  or  thirty  thousand  dollars,  at  this 
point  of  business  success,  is  utter  folly.  He 
talks  of  having  made  large  sums  outside  of  trade. 
"Well,  perhaps  this  is  so— perhaps  it  is  not.  In 
gambling,  every  one  must  have  his  run  of  ill-luck 
sooner  or  later — and  I  regard  his  stock  and  other 
speculations  as  nothing  more  nor  less  than  gam 
bling." 

And  so  Mr.  Lee  thought  and  reasoned.  Nor 
fruitless  were  his  thoughts.  Though  not  a  man 
of  very  large  views?  or  comprehensive  grasp  of 
thought,  he  had  more  prudence  than  his  partner, 
and  possessed  a  degree  of  shrewd  forecast  that 
was  now  exercised  to  very  good  purpose.  It  was 
impossible,  under  the  circumstances,  for  Pinker- 
ton  to  give  that  attention  to  the  details  and  pro 
gress  of  business,  that  was  absolutely  required 
for  its  successful  prosecution.  He  had  too  many 
ends  to  serve  outside  of  the  store  and  counting- 
room,  to  leave  opportunity  for  this.  And  when 
Mr.  Lee  proposed  to  advance  the  salary  of  their 
head  clerk,  a  thorough  business  man,  and  give 
him  certain  discretionary  and  more  general 
powers,  Piukerton  was  ready  to  acquiesce. 


304  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

From  that  moment  Mr.  Lee's  interest  in  his 
partner  subsided.  He  no  longer  leaned  upon  him 
— no  longer  consulted  him — no  longer  felt  that  the 
successful  prosecution  of  their  business  was  de 
pendent  upon  his  intelligence.  In  their  princi 
pal  clerk,  he  found  a  man  on  whose  judgment  he 
could  rely  with  even  more  confidence  than  he 
had  ever  been  able  to  rely  on  that  of  Mr.  Pinker- 
ton  ;  and  one  who  possessed  none  of  the  doubtful 
qualities  that  were  so  prominent  in  the  other. 
Gradually,  from  this  time,  he  gathered  the  reins 
into  his  own  hands,  and  acted  with  more  inde 
pendence,  and  a  clearer  intelligence. 

It  was  impossible  for  this  state  of  mind  and 
action  tt>  exist  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Lee,  without 
his  sooner  or  later  coming  into  unpleasant 
collision  with  Pinkerton.  The  latter  had  been 
so  long  accustomed  to  have  his  views  regarded  as 
law  in  the  business,  that  to  find  them  treated  as 
of  little  importance  was  a  thing  not  only  to  sur 
prise,  but  to  chafe  him. 

One  day  a  few  rather  sharp  words  had  passed 
between  the  two  men,  growing  out  of  this  inde 
pendent  action  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Lee.  Some 
thing,  during  the  excitement,  dropped  from  the 
latter,  which  lingered  in  the  mind  of  Pinkerton, 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  305 

and  annoyed  him  more  and  more,  the  longer  hi.< 
thoughts  dwelt  upon  it.  On  his  way  home,  on 
leaving  the  store,  he  called,  as  was  his  custom,  at 
the  office  of  Mr.  Allenr  in  order  to  have  some 
conference  with  him  in  regard  to  business.  The 
result  of  this  conference  was  by  no  means  satis 
factory.  Twenty-four  thousand  dollars  must  be 
raised  by  them  oh  the  next  day,  or  hopeless  ruin 
would  be  the  result.  But  how  were  they  to 
raise  it  ?  All,  and  more  than  all  they  were  really 
worth,  had  been  locked  up  in  two  handsome 
houses ;  beyond  this  proprety,  there  was  little  to 
show  as  a  basis  for  the  extraordinary  line  of  ac 
commodation  paper  that  was  in  market,  bearing 
their  signatures  and  endorsement.  Wh  y  all  this 
had  been  created,  Pinkerton  hardly  knew.  The 
whole  range  of  operations  with  his  father-in-law 
had  become  so  intervolved,  that  the  clue  was 
completely  lost. 

An  hour  of  earnest  scheming  on  the  part  of  the 
two  men  did  not  give  them  much  light,  and  they 
separated  in  no  very  enviable  frame  of  mind  ;  Mr. 
Allen  remaining  in  his  office,  and  Mr.  Pinkerton 
returning  to  his  home,  in  a  state  of  gloomy  de« 
pression.  Never  before  had  so  dark  a  cloud 
spread  itself  over  his  mind — never  before  had  so 


30;>  SPARING    TO    SPEND 

heavy  a  weight  rested  on  his  feelings.  A  moun 
tain  seemed  to  be  suddenly  thrown  across  his 
path — a  thick  veil  drawn  before  his  future.  It 
\vas  in  vain  that  his  wife  sought  to  interest  him. 
She  had  been  busy  all  day  in  making  costly  pur 
chases  for  the  adornment  of  their  new  home,  and 
she  was  eloquent  in  her  descriptions  of  the  va 
rious  beautiful  articles  which  she  had  selected. 
But,  her  words  instead  of  exciting  pleasant 
images,  only  served  to  make  deeper  the  depres 
sion  from  which  he  was  suffering. 

Thus  it  was,  when,  early  in  the  evening,  a 
message  came  that  Mr.  Allen  had  been  taken 
suddenly  ill,  and  desired  the  immediate  attend 
ance  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pinkerton.  The  summons 
was  hurriedly  obeyed.  On  reaching  the  house  of 
Mr.  Allen,  they  found  the  family  in  alarm  and 
consternation.  One  glance  sufficed  for  Pinker- 
ton,  as  he  entered  the  chamber  of  his  father-in- 
law.  There  was  no  mistaking  the  sign  stamped 
on  that  pallid  brow.  The  finger  of  death  had 
made  the  impression.  As  he  advanced  to  the 
bed,  the  dying  man  stretched  forward  his  hands, 
and  grasped  him  eagerly.  But,  all  in  vain  he 
essayed  intelligent  speech, — even  while  struggling 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  307 

for  a  last  utterance,  the  death-rattle  sounded  in 
his  throat,  and  he  sunk  back  lifeless  upon  the 
pillow  from  which  he  had  attempted  to  raise  him 
self. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 


NOT  like  a  strong  oak  did  Mark  Pinkerton 
battle  with  the  tempest  which  now  began  to 
sweep  over  him ;  but,  like  the  weak  bullrush,  he 
yielded  at  once,  bending  low  and  powerless  to  the 
very  earth.  He  knew  that  to  struggle  with  the 
tornado  would  be  hopeless ;  and  he  scarcely 
made  a  show  of  resistance. 

"Well  was  his  grief-stricken  wife  assured  that 
something  more  than  sorrow  for  the  death  of  her 
father  caused  him  to  walk  the  floor  of  their  cham 
ber  from  midnight  until  the  dawn  of  day ;  and  if 
vaguely  terrifying  fears  haunted  her  sleepless 
hours,  they  were  too  sadly  confirmed  by  the  hag 
gard  countenance  which  the  cold  light  of  morn 
ing  revealed.  To  the  many  earnest  entreaties 
addressed  to  him,  he  had  maintained  a  rigid  si 
lence,  or  answered  them  with  vagueness  and  im 
patience. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  309 

"  Oh,  Mark  !  What  ails  you  ?  Why  are  you 
in  such  distress?"  urged  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  all 
her  fears  and  anxieties  aroused  anew  as  she  saw. 
by  the  searching  daylight,  the  change  which  had 
been  brought  upon  his  face.  "  Do  speak  to  me, 
husband  !  Your  looks  frighten  me  terribly  I  What 
is  the  matter  ?" 

"  Is  not  the  sudden  death  of  your  father  cause 
enough  for  affliction  ?"  was  replied  evasively. 

A  gush  of  tears  and  sobs  was  the  wife's  re 
sponse.  But,  could  such  an  answer  satisfy  her? 
No — no.  The  personal  attachment  between  her 
husband  and  father  was  not  strong  enough  for 
this.  His  words  were  but  a  cloak  to  hide  from 
her  a  more  terrible  calamity  that  now  impended, 
or  had  actually  fallen  upon  them.  Of  this  she 
'felt  assured  ;  and  the  impression  so  filled  her  mind 
with  anxious  fears,  that  for  a  time  the  death  of 
her  father  seemed  but  a  light  affliction.  But 
neither  by  tears  nor  entreaties  could  she  break 
the  stern  reserve  of  her  husband. 

Early  in  the  day  Mr.  Pinkerton  sent  for  a  car 
riage,  and  was  driven  to  the  house  of  mourning, 
accompanied  by  his  wife.  After  a  brief  interview 
with  the  family  touching  the  last  sad  rites  that 
must  soon  follow,  and  a  preliminary  conference 
with  the  undertaker,  he  returned  alone  to  his 


310  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

dwelling,  where  he  shut  himself  up,  and  with  as 
much  courage  and  calmness  as  was  possible  under 
the  circumstances,  endeavored  to  look  the  ap 
proaching  calamity  in  the  face.  In  the  absence 
of  memorandum  and  account  books,  memory  sup 
plied  sufficient  data  to  show  that  his  obligations, 
in  connexion  with  those  of  his  deceased  father-in- 
law,  were  so  far  beyond  his  available  resources, 
that  to  attempt  their  liquidation  was  utterly  hope 
less.  The  death  of  Mr.  Allen  cut  off  the  very 
means  of  raising  money  which  had  been  so  long 
and  so  liberally  used.  The  two  men  could  no 
longer  play  into  each  other's  hands — and  the  less 
skilful  player  felt  himself  to  be  wholly  at  the 
mercy  of  his  opponents. 

Ah  !  Those  long  hours  of  self-communion,  how 
full  of  bitterness  they  were  to  Mark  Pinker- 
ton  !  A  little  while  before,  though  on  a  pinnacle, 
he  had  stood  firm,  and  imagined  his  footing  se 
cure.  Now,  alas !  the  downward  plunge  was  in 
evitable,  and  he  could  see  nothing  below  but  a 
dark  and  fearful  abyss.  No  wonder  that  he  shrunk 
back  and  trembled. 

Many  times  through  the  day  had  the  sound  of 
the  ringing  door-bell  met  his  ears,  and  each  time 
he  waited  and  listened  for  the  servant's  approach, 
to  announce  sjome  visitor  who  wished  an  inter- 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  311 

view.  Ah,  those  coining  interviews  !  How  the 
bare  thought  of  them  made  him  sick  at  heart ; 
Not,  however,  until  late  in  the  afternoon  came 
the  expected  tap  at  his  door. 

"  A  gentleman — Mr.  Lee — is  in  the  parlor," 
said  the  waiter. 

All  day  Mr.  Pinkerton  had  been  in  hourly  ex 
pectation  of  a  visit  from  his  partner ;  yet  now,  as 
his  name  was  announced,  he  started. 

"  Tell  him  that  I  will  be  down  in  a  moment," 
he  replied  to  the  waiter. 

The  man  withdrew.  For  several  minutes 
Pinkerton  walked  the  floor,  striving  to  think  clear 
ly.  The  fact  that  his  partner  came  at  this  par 
ticular  hour,  clearly  indicated  his  errand.  A  large 
amount  of  the  paper  which  in  consequence  of  the 
death  of  Mr.  Allen,  had  to  come  under  protest, 
bore  the  endorsement  of  Pinkerton  &  Lee.  The 
notary  had,  of  course,  called  at  the  store  of  the  en 
dorsers,  thus  exposing  to  his  partner  the  dishonor 
able  transactions  in  which  he  had  been  engaged ; 
transactions  which  he  feared  were  likely  to  involve 
their  house  in  the  ruin  that  must  inevitably 
fall  upon  him.  At  last,  feeling  that  longer  delay 
was  useless,  Pinkerton  descended  to  the  parlor. 
The  compressed  lips  and  knit  brow  of  his  partner 
showed  that  he  had  rightly  guessed  .the  purport 


312  SPARING    TO    SPEND, 

of  his  visit.  The  two  men  bowed  distantly. 
Without  making  allusion  to  the  death  of  Mr. 
Allen,  Lee  said — 

"  Are  you  aware  that  certain  notes  to  a  large 
amount,  and  bearing  your  name,  either  as  drawer 
or  endorser,  have  laid  over  to  day?" 

"  I  have  presumed  as  much,"  was  the  subdued 
yet  somewhat  firm  answer  of  Pinkerton. 

"  I  am  not  very  greatly  suprised  at  this  result," 
said  Mr.  Lee,  coldly,  "  but  there  is  one  thing  at 
which  I  am  surprised."  And  he  looked  fixedly 
at  his  partner.  No  reply  being  made,  he  con 
tinued — 

"  Over  five  thousand  dollars  of  this  paper  bears 
the  endorsement  of  Pinkerton  &  Lee.  Will  you 
explain  the  meaning  of  this  ?" 

"  It  need  no  explanation,"  said  Pinkerton,  dog 
gedly. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  returned  the  other,  quick 
ly.  "It  does  need  explanation.  By  what  au 
thority  did  you  use  the  name  of  the  firm  out  of 
our  regular  business  ?" 

"  I  am  in  no  state  of  mind  to  discuss  this  mat 
ter  with  you,  Mr.  Lee,"  said  Pinkerton — "  in  no 
mood  to  answer  sharp  interrogatories.  You  have 
the  fact  before  you,  and  that  admits  of  no  con- 
troversv." 


SPARING    TO    SPKND.  313 

"  But  I  want  explanations,  Mr.  Pinkerton. 
There  is  too  much  involved — too  much  at  stake. 
1  am  not  to  be  put  off  in  this  way." 

"  What  do  you  want  to  know  ?"  said  Pinkerton, 
rousing  up,  and  assuming  something  like  a  defiant 
air. 

"  In  the  first  place,  I  wish  to  know,"  said  Lee, 
''  by  what  authority  you  used  the  name  of  the 
firm  outside  of  our  legitimate  operations  ?  and  in 
the  second  place,  I  wish  to  be  informed  as  to  the 
extent  to  which  it  has  been  carried  ?" 

"  As  to  your  first  question,"  replied  Pinkerton. 
"  it  requires  no  answer ;  and  as  to  the  second,  I 
am  not  at  present  under  circumstances  to  speak 
advisedly.  All  my  affairs  are  inextricably  involved 
with  those  of  Mr.  Allen,  whose  sudden  death  has 
produced  the  present  unfortunate  state  of  things. 
I  cannot  get  immediate  access  to  his  books  and 
papers ;  nor  do  I  know  the  value  of  his  estate, 
after  his  obligations  are  met." 

"  You  at  least  know,"  said  Mr.  Lee  to  this, 
"  whether  there  is  any  more  paper  out  bearing  the 
endorsement  of  the  firm.  This  is  a  matter  in 
which  I  am  vitally  interested,  and  I,  at  least,  have 
a  right  to  expect  from  you  all  the  information  now 
in  your  power  to  give.  If  the  amount  is  hope 
lessly  large,  I  wish  to  know  it  at  once — so  that 
14 


314  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

my  course  of  action  may  be  promptly  determined. 
The  five  thousand  dollars  presented  to  day  lies 
under  protest ;  but  if  .the  amount  of  the  same  kind 
of  paper  yet  to  come  due  does  not  reach  beyond U 
certain  sum,  I  will  take  from  the  hands  of  the 
notary  that  now  in  his  possession  before 'bank 
opens  in  the  morning.  Is  there  as  much  more_of 
this  paper  in  the  market  ?" 

"  Yes — five  times  as  much  more,"  replied  Pin- 
kerton. 

"  Unhappy  man  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Lee,  starting 
to  his  feet,  and  moving  hurriedly  about  the  room. 
"  Into  what  a  desperate  strait  has  your  miserable 
folly  driven  you,  and  all  who  are  so  unfortunate 
as  to  have  any  connexion  with  you  whatever." 

Both  of  the  men  were  now  silent  for  a  long 
time ;  but  the  thoughts  of  each  were  busy.  At 
length  Mr.  Lee  said, — 

"  Do  you  think  that  forty  thousand  dollars 
will  cover  the  whole  amount  of  this  paper  ?" 

"  It  ought  to  do  so,"  replied  Pinkerton. 

"  But  will  it  ?"  was  the  quick  interrogation.— 
u  Will  it? — that  is  the  great  question  now." 

"  Fifty  thousan4  will,  I  know,  more  than  cover 
everything/'  said  Pinkerton. 

"  Fifty  thousand  dollars  !"  ejaculated  his  part- 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  315 

ner.  "  Fifty  thousand !  And  what  property 
have  you  to  set  off  against  this  ?" 

"  Enough,  I  trust,  to  liquidate  the  whole,  pro 
vided  hurried  sales,  involving  ruinous  sacrifices, 
are  not  made." 

"  Pinkerton,"  said  Mr.  Lee,  somewhat  sternly, 
"  don't  mislead  me  in  this  matter.  I  shall  suffer 
wrong  enough,  at  best.  What  is  this 'property  of 
which  you  speak  ?" 

"  There  is  my  house,  which  cost  over  thirty 
thousand  dollars,  to  begin  with." 

"  But  I  am  told  that  it  is  heavily  mortgaged." 

"  Only  for  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  thousand  dol 
lars." 

"  Very  well— what  next  ?" 

"  I  have  many  hundred  shares  of  good  stocks." 

"  Not  under  hypothecation  for  loans,  or  as  se 
curity  for  endorsements  ?" 

Pinkerton  hesitated  to  answer.  A  deep  sigh 
passed  the  lips  of  his  partner,  who  said — 

"  I  see  how  it  is.  Mortgages  and  securities 
will  render  valueless  a  great  proportion  of  what 
you  call  property.  And,  doubtless,  it  will  be  so 
with  the  estate  of  Mr.  Allen.  Let  me  ask  an 
other  question.  For  how  much  paper  are  you 


316  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

responsible,  either  as  drawer  or  endorser,  beyond 
the  fifty  thousand  dollars  just  alluded  to  ?" 

"  It  is  impossible  now  to  tell.  My  bill  book  is 
in  Mr.  Allen's  office,"  replied  Pinkerton. 

"  Will  the  sum  fall  short  of  fifty  thousand  dol 
lars  more  ?" 

"  Perhaps  not,  including  endorsements.  But 
then,  Mr.  Allen's  estate  will  be  responsible  for. 
his  obligations,  though  they  do  bear  my  endorse 
ment." 

"  Some  light,  at  least,"  said  Mr.  Lee,  abstract 
edly,  as  he  paced  the  floor.  "  But  what  a  condi 
tion  of  things  it  reveals !"  Then,  after  a  pause, 
he  asked — 

"  When  is  the  funeral  to  take  place  ?" 

"  On  the  day  after  to-morrow,"  was  replied. 

"  Very  well — until  that  is  over,  little  can  be 
determined  upon.  Will  you  be  at  the  store  in  the 
morning  ?" 

"  I  presume  not." 

"  Can  I  see  you  here  at  ten  o'clock  ?" 

«  Yes." 

"  Can  you  not,  in  the  mean  time,  draw  up  a 
statement  of  your  affairs  so  accurate,  that  the 
true  position  in  which  you  stand  may  be  fully  de 
termined  ?" 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  317 

"  I  think  so." 

"  Will  you  do  it  ?" 

"  I  will." 

"  But  have  you  the  correct  data  ?  Have 
you,  in  this  intervolved  business  of  note-giving 
and  note-endorsing,  which  it  appears  you  and 
Mr.  Allen  have  carried  on  to  an  enormous  extent, 
been  careful  to  keep  reliable  memoranda?" 

"  As  soon  as  I  get  my  books  from  Mr.  Allen's 
office,  which  I  will  do  to-day,  I  can  make  up  a 
statement  very  nearly  approximating  the  truth." 

"  And  this  you  engage  to  do  at  once  ?"  said 
Mr.  Lee. 

u  It  shall  be  ready  by  ten  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning,  if  it  requires  the  whole  night  for  its 
preparation,"  answered  Pinkerton. 

"  Very  well.  I  will  lift  the  five  thousand  dol 
lars  at  a  venture — thus  saving  the  credit  of  the 
housej  and  personal  exposure  to  yourself.  To 
morrow  will  determine  my  future  action." 

Without  further  remark,  the  two  men  sepa 
rated. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 


WHEN  Mr.  Lee  called  on  the  next  morning  he 
found  his  partner  in  a  most  gloomy  and  distress 
ed  state  of  mind.  Accurately,  as  it  was  possible 
under  the  circumstances,  he  had  made  up  his  ac 
count — and  figures,  which  "  do  not  lie,"  con 
firmed  all  his  worst  fears.  In  possession  of  the 
Maryland  Insurance  Company,  and  in  the  hands 
of  individual  capitalists,  were  notes,  ^bearing  the 
signature  of  the  firm,  amounting,  in  all,  to  over 
thirty  thousand  dollars,  which  had  been  placed 
there  as  collateral  security,  and  which,  failing  to 
be  reclaimed  by  himself,  would  come  into  bank 
for  collection  at  maturity.  Besides  these,  as 
near  as  he .  could  ascertain,  notes  for  at  least 
thirty  thousand  dollars  more  were  in  existence, 


SPARING    TO     SPEND.  319 

on  which  he  had  placed  the  endorsement  of  the 
house.  Beyond  this,  we  need  not  particularize ; 
as  it  is  of  no  great  use  to  estimate  with  accuracy 
the  extent  of  pressure  which  exceeds  that  neces 
sary  to  crush  to  atoms  the  object  unfortunately 
lying  beneath. 

After  a  long  and  careful  examination  of  the 
figures  placed  before  him  by  his  unhappy  partner 
Mr.  Lee  said — 

"  My  first  proposition  you  no  doubt  anticipate 
— it  comes  in  course,  and  as  a  matter  of  necessi 
ty.  Our  partnership  must  be  dissolved." 

Pinkerton  slightly  inclined  his  head,  but  made 
no  answer. 

"  As  carefully,  as  was  possible  under  the  cir 
cumstances,  I  have  examined  into  the  state  of 
our  business.  It  is  sound,  and  has  made  liberal 
profits.  But  it  cannot  bear  the  sudden  abstrac 
tion  of  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  dollars.  It  would 
crumble  like  a  wall  of  sand.  Now,  what  I  pro- 
pose  is  this.  An  immediate  dissolution,  under 
an  obligation,  on  my  part,  to  lift  all  the  paper 
you  have  created  or  endorsed  by  virtue  of  the 
signature  of  Pinkerton  &  Lee,  to  the  amount  of 
sixty  thousand  dollars.  This  payment,  on  your 
account,  to  be  considered  a  full  equivalent  for  all 


320  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

interest  in  the  business  whatever.  Should  the  sura 
to  be  paid  not  reach  sixty  thousand  dollars,  the 
difference  will  be  so  much  to  your  credit." 

"  Have  you  not  just  remarked,"  said  Pinkerton, 
"  that  the  business  will  not  bear  so  large  an  ab 
straction  of  capital  ?' ' 

"  Nor  will  it.  Not  for  a  month  could  I  stand 
alone." 

"  You  expect,  then,  to  fill  my  place  ?" 

"  All  is  hopeless  without  a  partner.  And  he 
must  have  ample  means,"  said  Mr.  Lee. 

"  Can  you  find  such  a  one  ?" 

"  If  not,  the  case  is  desperate." 

"  It  is  very  questionable,"  said  Pinkerton, 
"  whether  the  firm  is  responsible  for  any  of  this 
paper.  Of  one  thing  I  am  certain — it  might  be 
bought  in  at  a  large  discount.  Most  of  the 
holders  would  be  glad  to  realize  fifty  cents  in  the 
dollar  rather  than  encounter  the  delays  and  un 
certainties  of  legal  proceedings." 

Mr.  Lee  shook  his  head  gravely.  "It  won't 
do,  Mr.  Pinkerton,"  he  said.  "  The  moment  the 
house  resists  the  payment  of  notes  to  so  large  an 
amount,  and  on  the  plea  that  they  were  created 
by  one  of  the  firm,  outside  of  the  regular  busi 
ness,  that  moment  its  credit  receives  a  shock 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  321 

which  must  ultimately  prove  its  destruction- 
-No — no.  There  is  but  one  safe  course  open,  and 
I  will  walk  in  none  other.  As  for  prolonging  out 
present  relations,  that  is  impossible.  I  would 
choose,  rather,  an  immediate  closing  up  of  the 
business.  As  for  yourself,  your  only  hope  lies 
in  the  arrangement  proposed.  It  will  at  once 
relieve  you  from  heavy  personal  responsibilities, 
and  place  it  in  your  power  to  render  available  to 
the  fullest  extent  the  property  you  have  accumu 
lated  in  stock  and  other  speculations.  If  I  take 
care  of  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  dollars  for  you, 
surely  you  can  manage  safely  every  thing  beyond, 
and  come  out  with  a  surplus." 

Eagerly  caught  Pinkerton  at  this  view  of  the 
case.  Light  and  hope  broke  in  suddenly  upon 
his  mind.  If  his  partner  would  lift  so  large  a 
sum  of  the  obligations  he  had  created,  enough 
would  remain,  he  believed,  to  enable  him,  with 
the  knowledge  possessed  of  money  transactions, 
in  sotne  measure,  to  recover  himself.  He  must 
step  down  from  his  social  position  many  degrees 
lower,  that  was  plain.  But  he  need  not  descend 
so  low  as  at  first  seemed  inevitable. 

"  I  do  not  ;isk  your  :nstant  assent  to  this  ar 
rangement,"  said  Mr.  Lee.     "  It  is  due  to  your- 


322  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

self,  first,  to  look  at  a  statement  of  our  affairs, 
and  determine  whether  the  notes  proposed  to  be 
lifted  are  equal  in  amount  to  your  interest  in  the 
house.  I  can  only  say  that,  taking  into  consid 
eration  the  large  sums  you  have  drawn  out  for 
your  own  purposes,  in  excess  of  my  personal  ac 
count,  sixty  thousand  dollars  is  something  be 
yond  your  share  of  the  business.  This,  however, 
you  can  readily  determine  for  yourself." 

And,  when  the  question  came  up  for  final  deci 
sion,  Mr.  Pinkerton  was  at  no  loss  what  course 
to  pursue.  On  the  one  side,  was  the  broadest 
exposure  of  his  dishonorable  course,  in  using  the 
firm  signature,  involving  law-suits  and  humiliating 
exhibitions  of  private  transactions,  with  almost 
certain  ruin  as  the  final  consequences — while,  on 
the  other,  was  the  hope  of  extrication  from  the 
worst  of  his  present  embarrassments.  A  memo 
randum,  as  the  basis  of  a  dissolution  of  the  firm 
of  Pinkerton  &  Lee,  being  drawn  up,  was  signed 
by  both  parties — and  Mr.  Pinkerton  went  out,  in 
reality,  a  poor  man,  from  a  mercantile  establish 
ment  in  which  his  interest,  had  he  not  madly  de 
stroyed  it,  could  scarcely  have  been  purchased  for 
&  hundred  thousand  dollars ! 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 


THE  marriage  of  Mr.  Ackland  with  Lucy 
Arden,  whose  father  was  a  merchant  of  great 
wealth,  rapidly  advanced  the  interests  of  the 
young  house  of  which  Lofton  was  a  member. 
Larger  capital  was  placed  at  their  disposal,  and 
extended  facilities  came  as  a  legitimate  conse 
quence.  Few  business  establishments  in  the 
city  were  more  broadly  based,  or  more  firmly 
built  up. 

During  the  period  of  six  years,  briefly  referred 
to- in  preceding  chapters,  though  the  house  of 
Ackland  and  Lofton  had  been  steadily,  but 
safely,  extending  its  operations,  and  though  the 
sums  of  profits  passed  to  the  credit  of  each  part 
ner,  year  after  year,  was  beginning  to  count,  not 


3.24  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

by  thousands,  but  by  tens  of  thousands,  still  the 
Loftons  remained  in  the  comfortable  dwelling 
where  we  last  saw  them,  and  were  not  in  the 
least  troubled  with  ambitious  thotfghts.  Entirely 
above  the  weakness  of  social  rivalry,  their  minds 
were  never  fretted  by  contrasts  between  their 
own  household  style  and  arrangements  and  those 
of  their  neighbors  and  acquaintances.  With  them, 
whatever  of  happiness  they  enjoyed,  flowed  from 
within  outward. 

Since  Lucy  Arden's  marriage  with  Mr.  Ack- 
land,  a  gradual  change  had  taken  place  in  her 
feelings  towards  Mrs.  Lofton.  From  regarding 
her  as  a  true-hearted  friend,  in  whose  welfare 
she  took  a  lively  interest,  she  now  began  to  feel 
towards  her  the  earnest  love  of  a  sister.  Their 
earlier  intercourse  was  more  or  less  marked  by  a 
consciousness,  on  both,  sides,  of  existing  social 
disparities ;  but,  with  the  marriage  of  Lucy,  this 
barrier  was  removed — for,  as  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Ackland,  her  position  was  on  the  same  plane 
with  that  of  Mrs.  Lofton.  From  that  time  a  new 
bond  united  them. 

There  is  little  in  the  peaceful  flow  of  a  sun- 
bright  rivulet,  as  it  winds  its  way  among  green 
fields  and  through  quiet  valleys,  to  win  the  atten- 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  325 

tion  or  strongly  impress  the  imagination.  The 
picture  is  a  sweet  one  to  look  upon,  and  the 
heart  treasures  it.  But,  to  the  sketcher,  it  affords 
no  theme  for  an  imposing  display  of  art.  So  we 
find  it  in  the  quiet  home-life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lofton.  Its  gentle  current  lapsed  pleasantly 
along,  as  the  years  progressed,  darkened  by  no 
clouds,  and  whitened  into  foam-wreaths  by  no 
down-rushing  tempest.  We  will  not  linger, 
therefore,  to  show  you  the  many  beautiful  pic 
tures  that  were  mirrored  upon  its  surface  during 
the  seasons  that  passed  since  you  last  saw  them. 
But  another  and  note-worthy  event  is  now  about 
to  occur,  and  we  pause  to  make  the  record. 

It  was  about  two  months  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Allen.  Somewhat  later  than  usual,  Mr.  Lofton 
returned  home  from  his  store,  one  evening,  and, 
the  moment  he  entered,  Mrs.  Lofton  saw  that  his 
countenance  had  a  thoughtful  air  beyond  its 
wont.  During  the  tea  hour,  he  seemed  ab 
stracted,  and  said  but  little.  Mrs.  Lofton  began 
to  feel  a  shadow  of  concern  hovering  about  her 
heart. 

"  Does  anything  trouble  you,  Archie  ?"  said 
Mrs.  Lofton,  with  a  look  of  tender  concern,  as 
soon  as  she  was  alone  with  her  husband. 


326  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  Do  I  really  look  troubled  ?"  enquired  the 
young  man,  as  a  smile  half  forced  and  half  na 
tural  brightened  his  face. 

"  Troubled  may  be  too  strong  a  word.  But 
you  have  been  very  silent,  and  all  to  appearance, 
very  thoughtful  since  you  returned  home  this 
evening." 

"  And  I  am  thoughtful,  dear — very  thoughtful, 
and  with  good  cause,"  said  Lofton. 

"  Nothing  wrong,  I  hope,  in  your  business  ?" 

"  0,  no — no,"  was  the  quick  answer.  "  Every 
thing  is  right  there.  All  a  hundred-fold  better 
than  I  ever  expected.  But  let  me  tell  you  a 
little  piece  of  news.  You  know  the  two  elegant 
houses  built  by  poor  Pinkerton  and  his  father-in- 
law  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  They  were  just  completed  as  you  remember, 
and  the  two  families  were  preparing  to  occupy 
them,  when  the  death  of  Mr.  Allen  took  place. 
I  need  not  speak  of  the  disaster  that  followed. 
Both  of  these  houses  were  heavily  mortgaged, 
and  are  to  be  sold  to-morrow,  at  public  sale,  for 
the  satisfaction  of  parties  holding  the  mort 
gages. 

"  But  is  not  Mr.  Pinkerton  able  to  retain  the 


SPARING    TO    SPENP.  327 

one  he  built  ?  I  thought,  under  the  arrangement 
which  you  told  me  his  partner  had  made  with 
him  at  the  time  of  their  separation,  that  he 
would  have  a  handsome  property  left." 

"  So  it  was  said.  But  Mr.  Allen's  estate  was 
utterly  insolvent,  and  Mr.  Pinkerton's  affairs 
were  so  mixed  up  with  his,  that,  after  a  brief 
struggle  to  save  himself,  he  was  crushed  down 
and  overwhelmed  in  the  general  ruin." 

"  How  sad  !  How  very  sad  !  "Where  is  he  at 
present,  and  what  is  he  doing  ?" 

"  I  have  not  seen  him  for  a  month.  I  believe 
he  is  not  at  present,  engaged  in  any  business." 

"  Where  are  his  family  ?" 

Mr.  Lofton  shook  his  head. 

"  Ah  !  what  mistakes  both  he  and  his  wife  com 
mitted  !"  said  Mrs.  Lofton. 

"  His  whole  life  has  been  a  series  of  mistakes," 
replied  her  husband.  "  And  the  only  wonder 
with  me  is,  that  he  progressed  so  far  without 
breaking  down.  Ultimate  ruin  was  inevitable. 
All  prudent,  far  seeing  men  anticipated  the 
inevitable  result.  Poor  fellow  !" 

There  was  a  silence  of  some  moments,  and  then 
Lofton  said — 

"  But,  to  go  back  to  the  houses  which  are  to  bo 


328  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

sold  to-morrow.  Mr.  Arden  was  in  to  see  us  to 
day,  and  says  he  is  going  to  buy  one  of  them  for 
Lucy." 

"  Indeed !  How  pleased  I  am  to  hear  you  say 
so !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lofton,  a  light  breaking 
over  her  countenance.  "  Dear  Lucy  !  She  deserves 
it  all.  And  what  a  kind,  good  father  she  has  !  I 
shall  take  as  much  pleasure  in  seeing  her  the 
mistress  of  one  of  these  elegant  mansions,  as  if 
the  position  were  my  own." 

"  It  is  proposed  that  you  shall  be  the  mistress 
of  the  other,"  said  Lofton.  He  tried  to  speak  in  a 
perfectly  even  tone ;  but  a  slight  unsteadiness 
betrayed  his  feelings. 

"  Why  Archie  !"  exclaimed  the  startled  wife,  her 
countenance  slightly  flushing,  and  then  becoming 
very  pale. 

"  It   is   even   so,  dear,"  ^said  Lofton  gravely. 
"  Both  Mr.  Arden  and  Mr.  Ackland  insist  that  I 
shall  purchase  the  other  house." 
^«  To  live  in  ?" 

"  Certainly.  That  is  the  end  proposed — Ack 
land  and  his  family  to  live  in  one,  and  we  in  the 
other." 

"  If,"  said  Mrs.  Lofton,  forcing  a  smile,  "  you 
had,  like  Mr.  Ackland,  a  rich  father-in-law  to 


SPARING     TO    SPEND.  329 

buy  the  house  for  you,  then  we  might  have  no 
thing  to  object.  But,  to  do  so  now,  would  be  a 
piece  of  ostentatious  extravagance  that  nothing 
could  justify." 

"  So  1  urged.  But  neither  Mr.  Arden  nor  Mr. 
Ackland  will  hear  any  objection.  The  purchase 
of  one  of  the  houses  for  Lucy  is  a  thing  determin 
ed  upon.  Mr.  Arden  is  prepared  to  overbid  all 
competitors,  for  he  has  taken  a  fancy  to  the  house. 
But  it  is  not  probable  either  of  them  will  bring 
over  twenty  thousand,  though  they  cost  every 
dollar  of  thirty  thousand." 

"  Twenty  thousand  dollars  !  Do  you  not  think 
it  would  be  wrong  for  you  to  draw  that  large  sum 
from  the  business  ?" 

"  So  I  said.  But  no  objection  would  be  admit 
ted — or  rather,  every  objection  was  at  once  an 
swered — and  with  a  conclusiveness  that  left  me 
little  to  say." 

"  But  how  was  that  answered  ?"  said  Mrs 
Lofton. 

"  Readily  enough.  Mr.  Arden  said  that  he 
would  make  arrangements  for  all  the  funds  that 
were  needed  above  ten  thousand  dollars,  while 
Mr.  Ackland  asserted  that  I  could  draw  out  of  my 
profits  in  the  business,  ten  or  fifteen  thousand 


330  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

dollars,  without  the  least  inconvenience  being 
suffered.  The  fact  is,  Ellen,  it  is  a  settled  point 
in  the  minds  of  these  two  gentlemen,  that  we  are 
to  occupy  one  of  these  elegant  houses,  and  Mr. 
Acklaud  and  Lucy  the  other.  Opposition  on  our 
part  will  only  provoke  increased  importunity  on 
theirs." 

"  But  see,  Archie,"  said  Mrs.  Lofton,  "what  an 
expense  beyond  the  purchase  it  will  involve.  New 
parlor  furniture,  at  least,  will  have  to  be  bought, 
and  that  of  a  costly  kind,  to  be  in  keeping  with 
the  style  of  the  house.  The  expense  of  living,  too, 
will  be  largely  increased.  Can  we  afford  all  this?" 

"I  believe  we  can,"  said  Lofton.  "The  an 
nual  profit  on  our  business  is  large — so  large, 
that  many  men  would  deem  it  amply  sufficient 
to  warrant  a  much  larger  cost  of  living  than  we 
shall  have  to  meet  should  we  remove  into  one  of 
these  houses." 

"  Dear  Archie !"  said  Mrs.  Lofton,  the  tears 
springing  to  her  eyes,  "  when  I  heard  that  Lucy 
was  to  be  the  mistress  of  one  of  these  elegant 
homes,  my  heart  gave  a -bound  of  pleasure ;  but, 
it  sinks  and  trembles  at  the  thought  of  a  like 
elevation  for  myself.  We  have  been  very  happy 
here,  Archie— very  happy" — she  added,  with  a 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  331 

gush  of  tender  emotions.  "  Shall  we  be  as  happy 
there,  if  the  change  is  made  ?  I  fear  not,  dear 
husband." 

"  Keep  the  same  loving  heart — the  same  unsel 
fish  regard  for  the  good  of  others,  dear  wife,"  re 
plied  Lofton,  with  feeling,  "and  you  will  not 
only  be  as  happy  there  as  you  have  been  here — 
but  retain  equal  power  to  minister  to  the  happi 
ness  of  others.  Have  we  been  less  happy  here, 
than  in  the  humble  abode  which  we  first  called  by 
the  blessed  name  of  home  ?" 

"  Oh  no — oh  no,"  was  answered. 

"  Why  then  need  this  change,  if  we  are  fully 
able  to  make  it,  rob  us  of  a  single  home  delight  ? 
It  will  enlarge  your  social  sphere,  as  a  natural 
consequence — bringing  you  into  contact  with 
many  who  have  not  cared  to  associate  with  us,  or 
who,  because  we  have  kept  ourselves  obscure, 
have  had  no  opportunity  to  know  you  as  one 
with  a  congenial  spirit ;  yet,  if  the  love  of  the 
world  be  not  permitted  to  enter  our  hearts,  Ellen, 
we  have  nothing  to  fear.  We  jnay  go  up  to  a 
higher  position — may  accept  these  added  tempo 
ral  blessings,  and  still  retain  that  sweet  tranquil- 
ity  of  mind  which  is  worth  more  than  all  this 
world  has  to  offer.  Tt  is  the  contented  mind 


332  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

that  finds  delight  in  what  it  possesses — that  truly 
enjoys  life.  The  unhappy  are  they  who  are  ever 
looking  intently  into  the  future  for  blessings 
which  may  never  come,  while  they  neglect  the 
good  that  is  given  for  their  enjoyment  in  the  pre 
sent.  This  fatal  error  we  have,  thus  far,  avoid 
ed.  Let  us  continue  to  do  so,  and  we  have  no 
thing  to  fear." 

While  they  yet  talked  about  this  important 
change,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ackland  came  in.  Lucy 
had  known  nothing  of  what  was  proposed  until 
her  husband  returned  from  business  on  that  even 
ing.  Of  course,  she  had  no  scruples  about  going 
into  the  elegant  house  her  father  intended  buying 
for  her.  To  be  the  mistress  of  such  an  establish 
ment,  just  suited  her  fancy.  When  she  learned 
still  further,  the  wishes  of  both  her  husband  and 
father  in  regard  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lofton,  and  also 
the  objection  urged  by  the  former  when  the  sub 
ject  was  mentioned  to  him,  she  declared,  in  her 
off-hand,  emphatic  way,  that  they  should  have  the 
other  house. 

"  Come,"  said  she  to  her  husband,  as  soon 
as  tea  was  over,  "  I  shall  not  rest  one  moment 
until  I  see  Ellen — and  then  I  don't  mean  to  let 
her  rest  until  she  comes  over  to  our  side  about 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  333 

the  house.  Oh,  won't  it  be  delightful !  "What  a 
sensation  we  shall  make !  But  don't  I  know  a 
lady  or  two  who  will  be  ready  to  bite  their  finger 
ends  off  when  they  see  Mrs.  Lofton  step  up  in  her 
quiet,  lady-like  way,  and  take  a  place  far  above 
them." 

"  But  it  won't  do  to  approach  Mrs.  Lofton,  on 
the  subject,  in  this  spirit,  Lycy,"  said  her  hus 
band,  smiling.  "  You  cannot  move  her  by  influ 
ences  so  potent  in  the  case  of  most  ladies  of  our 
acquaintance.  There  is  a  large  share  of  unbend 
ing  principle  in  her  composition — gentle,  unob 
trusive,  and  apparently  yielding  as  she  is." 

"  No  one  knows  her  better  than  I  do.  So  don't 
fear  but  I  shall  approach  her  with  all  due 
caution ;  yet,  I  hope,  with  consummate  tact.  I 
think  I  understand  pretty  well  her  vulnerable 
points." 

In  this  spirit  Mrs.  Ackland  called,  with  her 
husband,  on  the  Loftons.  Of  all  that  passed  be 
tween  these  deeply-attached  friends,  it  is  need 
less  to  speak  in  detail.  Enough,  that,  when  the 
two  houses  were  sold  on  the  next  day,  one  was 
purchased  by  Mr.  Arden,  and  the  other  by  Mr. 
Lofton — each  for  the  sum  of  nineteen  thousand, 
six  hundred  dollars. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 


THE  new  hope  that  sprung  up  in  the  heart  of 
Mr.  Pinkerton,  on  reviewing  the  proposition  of 
his  partner  to  lift  some  sixty  thousand  dollars  of 
the  obligations  he  had  created,  was  soon  darken 
ed.  He  had  little  dreamed  of  the  true  state  of 
Mr.  Allen's  affairs,  nor  was  he  fully  aware  of  the 
extent  to  which  he  was  involved  therein.  A  few 
months  sufficed  to  make  all  clear — to  show  him 
that  he  was  utterly  and  irretrievably  ruined. — 
Gradually,  but  surely,  the  circle  of  his  operations 
narrowed ;  and,  with  each  contraction,  it  became 
too  sadly  apparent,  that  to  struggle  with  his  fate, 
only  drew  tighter  the  cords  that  were  binding 
him  hand  and  foot. 

Some  months  had  passed  since  the  death  of 


SPARING    TO     SPEND.  335 

Mr.  Allen.  Already  the  two  families  had  united 
into  one,  for  economical  as  well  as  other  reasons. 
But,  even  this  failed  to  accord  with  their  decreas 
ing  means  ;  and  they  had  removed  from  the  hand 
some  house  in  Charles  street  to  one  farther  -from 
the  centre  of  the  city,  which  they  procured  at 
the  greatly  reduced  rent  of  two  hundred  dollars. 
How  quickly  did  the  crowd  of  fashionable 
friends,  for  whose  eyes  their  costly  furniture  had 
been  purchased,  and  their  elegant  mansion  built, 
recede  from  them  in  the  time  of  adversity  ! 
They  sunk  beneath  the  waves,  and  the  ripple 
caused  by  the  disaster  soon  gave  place  to  a  calm 
and  sunny  surface,  leaving  no  sign  of  their  de 
parture.  In  the  cord  by  which  they  were  united 
to  the  worldly-minded  and  self-seeking,  were  no 
heart-fibres  ;  and  it  broke  without  causing  a  pang. 
Not  a  few,  who  had  been  most  intimate  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pinkerton — who  had  partaken  of  their 
generous  hospitalities,  and  basked  in  the  brighter 
sunshine  of  their  prosperity — rejoiced  in  heart 
over  their  fall ;  and  now  could  see  nothing  worthy 
of  remark  in  their  recent  elevation,  but  weak  so 
cial  ambition,  upstart  pride,  and  disgusting  vul 
garity. 


336  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

"  They  carried  their  heads  a  world  too  high," 
said  one. 

•'  I  always  thought  of  the  fnble  of  the  ox  and 
frog,"  said  another  ;  "  and  now  only  wonder  that 
the  catastrophe  was  so  long  delayed." 

"  Water  is  sure  to  find  its  true  level,"  remark 
ed  a  third. 

"  I  never  could  tolerate  them,"  said  a  fourth, 
who  had  been  one  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton's  "  dearest 
friends." 

And  so  the  changes  were  rung.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  unhappy  objects  of  these  ungenerous 
comments  were  suffering  a  degree  of  mental  an 
guish,  even  a  faint  picture  of  which  would  make 
the  reader's  heart  ache.  But,  we  are  in  no  way 
inclined  to  draw  the  veil,  and  exhibit  to  curious 
.eyes  their  impotent  anguish.  It  was  too  great 
not  to  be  accompanied  by  deforming  exhibitions 
of  pain.  Crushed  pride  and  disappointed  ambi- 
.tion  could  not  but  cry  out  at  the  loss  of  all  in 
life  that  seemed  worth  living  for ;  could  not  b'ut 
exhibit,  in  corresponding  externals,  the  bitterness 
of  those  inward  pangs  which  seemed  as  if  they 
would  palsy  the  very  heart. 

No — no  ;  we  will  not  lift  the  veil.      While  the 


SPARING    TO    bl'JEAD.  337 

seething  fermentation  goes  on,  let  their  anguish 
of  spirit  be  a  sacred  thing.  When  the  wine  of 
life,  chastened  by  its  wild,  internal  conflict,  is 
clearer,  aad  receives  the  pure  light  into  its  bo 
som,  we  may  bring  the  reader  briefly,  into  their 
presence  again.  A  little  incident,  however,  we 
must  not  pass  over. 

One  morning — it  was  when  the  mind  of  Pin- 
kerton  was  almost  paralyzed  by  a  crushing  sense 
of  coming  poverty — he  went  to  the  post-office,  as 
was  his  daily  custom,  and  received  therefrom  two 
letters.  He  did  not  notice  the  post-mark  on 
either  until  he  arrived  at  the  office  where  hg  had, 
for  some  months,  transacted  the  small  mattera  of 
business  that  required  his  attention.  Then,  as  he 
threw  them  on  a  table,  he  saw  the  well-known 
name  of  his  native  village,  clearly  written  out 
on  one  of  them.  A  sigh  escaped  his  lips,  as  he 
took  this  letter  in  his  hand,  and  broke  the  seal. 
He  had  a  foreshadowing  of  something  unpleas 
ant  ;  and  his  anticipations  were  by  no  means  at 
fault. 

The  letter  read  : — 
15 


338 

"  SIR  :— 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  shall  get  any 
thanks  for  my  pains;  but,  I  suppose  I  must  do 
my  duty  for  all  that.  In  a  word,  then,  your 
aunt  Mary  Jones,  who  has  lost,  by  some  hocus- 
sing  of  the  lawyers,  all  her  little  property,  and 
who  has  been  bed-ridden  all  winter  at  the  house 
of  a  poor  neighbor,  with  the  rheumatiz,  was  yes 
terday  sent  to  the  poor-house,  as  there  was  no 
one  here  that  was  willing,  who  felt  able,  to  take 
the  burden  of  her  support.  Poor  old  lady  !  it  is 
a  hard  case  ;  and  I  thought  it  would  break  her 
heart.  Howsomever  she's  a  Christian  woman,  and 

0* 

if  man  forsakes  her,  I  suppose  God  will  comfort 
her  in  her  old  age  and  helplessness.  But,  it  is  a 
hard  trial,  Mr.  Pinkerton,  for  one  like  her  to  be 
made  a  pauper  of.  I  thought  all  night  about  it 
last  night — it  kept  me  awake  till  day-dawn. — 
So,  this  morning,  I  said  to  myself,  Mr.  Pinker- 
ton,  her  nevy  in  Baltimore,  they  tell  us  is  as  rich 
as  a  Jew.  I'll  just  write  to  him  all  about  it. 
So,  now,  sir,  you  know  that  your  aunt  Mary 
Jones,  your  mother's  only  sister,  and  the  one 
who  was  so  long  a  tender  mother  to  your  sick, 
and  now  dead  sister  Lucy,  is  in  the  poor-house. 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  339 

If  you  leave  her  there — why,  ignorance  of  the 
fact,  at  least,  will  be  no  excuse. 
"  Obediently  yours, 

"  JOHN  CASTOR." 

There  was  scarcely  the  sign  of  an  emotion 
visible  as  Pinkerton  read  this  letter.  At  its  con 
clusion,  he  laid  it  quietly  aside,  pressed  both 
hands  over  his  face,  and  bent  forward  until  his 
forehead  touched  the  table.  It  was  full  ten  min 
utes  before  he  aroused  from  the  painful  abstrac 
tion  of  mind  which  the  epistle  had  occasioned. — 
As  he  lifted  his  pale  face,  his  eyes  rested  on  the 
other  letter,  which  had  been  forgotten ;  and  now, 
for  the  first  time,  he  saw  that  it  bore  the  same 
post-mark  as  this,  though  addressed  in  a  differ 
ent  hand.  The  seal  was  broken,  and  the  letter 
read  in  turn.  It  was  as  follows : — 

"  MR.  MARK  PINKERTON, — Enclosed  is  a  bill  of 
twenty-five  dollars,  my  charge  for  placing  tomb 
stones  over  the  grave  of  your  sister  Lucy.  You 
may  say  that  you  never  ordered  them,  and  if  you 
do,  I  suppose  that  must  settle  the  matter.  But, 
I  thought,  may  be,  you  wouldn't  just  like  to  have 
the  grave-stones  of  an  only  sister  remain  unpaid 
for;  and  so  concluded  just  to  write  you  on  the 


340  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

subject.  It  is  more  than  two  years  since  Mrs. 
Jones,  your  auut,  came  to  me  and  said,  '  I  want 
you,  Mr.  Carver,  to  put  up  a  marble  headstone 
and  footstone  to  dear  Lucy's  grave.  I  thought 
her  brother  Mark  would  have  done  it  long  ago ; 
but,  I  suppose  he  has  forgotten  all  about  it.  He 
never  was  very  apt  to  remember  promises.  ] 
can't  bear  to  see  the  weeds  and  briars  all  st 
choked  and  tangled  over  the  ground  ;  nor  to  se< 
the  grave  of  one  so  good  and  so  loved,  all  neg 
lected,  while  other  graves  are  cared  for  properly. 
And  so  she  chose  the  kind  of  stones  she  wanted 
and  I  put  them  up.  Well,  it  wasn't  long  before 
poor  Mrs.  Jones  got  into  more  trouble  with  her 
little  place.  A  shark  of  a  lawyer  here  found  out 
that  her  title  wasn't  just  all  right — and  the  up 
shot  is,  that  she's  lost  everything.  All  winter 
she  lay  sick  and  helpless,  and  yesterday,  I  regret 
to  say,  was  taken  to  the  county  alms-house.  I 
never  asked  her  about  my  bill  while  all  this  law 
yer-work  was  going  on,  for  I  knew  she  hadn't 
the  money,  and  I  didn't  want  to  increase  her 
trouble.  Of  course,  there's  no  chance^for  me 
now.  But,  it  has  seemed  to  me,  that  you 
wouldn't  like  the  bill  for  your  sister's  grave- 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  341 

etones  to  remain  unsettled,  and  so  I  send  it  to 
you.  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  pay  it,  as  I  am 
a  poor  man,  and  can't  afford  to  lose  so  much 
money. 

"  Respectfully, 

"  HENRY  CARVER." 

The  first  impulsive  act  of  Pinkerton  was  to 
write  a  hurried  answer  to  this  letter,  to  the  effect 
that  he  enclosed  the  amount  of  Mr.  Carver's  bill, 
and  was  sorry  he  had  not  been  advised  of  its 
existence  before.  Then,  taking  out  his  pocket 
book,  he  unfolded  a  small  roll  of  bills.  Their 
whole  sum,  on  counting  them  over,  did  not  ex 
ceed  twelve  dollars.  With  a  sigh,  the  money 
and  pocket-book  were  replaced.  A  long  time 
the  unhappy  man  sat  musing.  How  painfully 
and  constrictingly  did  a  sense  of  destitution 
press  upon  his  mind !  He  had  no  income  what 
ever,  and  was  in  no  business  that  gave  promise 
of  an  income.  The  little  he  had  been  able  to  re 
tain  from  the  wreck  of  his  fortunes  was  nearly 
all  expended,  and  his  heart  had  already  begun  to 
feel  oppressed  with  fears  of  absolute  want. 
Rising,  at  length,  he  took  the  sheet  of  paper  on 


342  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

which  he  had  written,  and  deliberately  tore  it  in 
to  shreds.  Then  placing  in  his  desk  the  two  let 
ters  received  on  that  morning,  he  went  from  his 
office,  not  because  he  had  business  that  required 
his  attention,  but  in  the  vain  effort  to  get  rid  of 
thoughts  whose  pressure  on  his  brain  were  al 
most  maddening. 


CHAPTER   XXXT  II. 


MORE  than  a  year  has  passed  since  Mrs. 
Lofton,  with  a  degree  of  reluctance  and  mis 
giving  of  heart  that  few  can  appreciate,  left  her 
comfortable  and  rather  modest  home  in  Court- 
land  street,  and  became  mistress  of  the  elegant 
mansion  built  for  Mr.  Pinkerton.  New  cares, 
new  responsibilities  and  new  associations,  came 
as  the  consequence ;  but  entering  into  all  of  these 
with  an  earnest,  self-negating  spirit,  Mrs.  Lofton 
experienced  none  of  those  drawbacks  she  had 
feared.  Intensely  thankful  for  the  good  things 
of  life  that  now  surrounded  her  in  liberal  pro 
fusion,  she  was  in  no  danger  of  losing  the  present 
enjoyment  thereof,  through  envy  of  others,  or  a 
weak  desire  for  things  more  costly  and  elegant. 


344  SPARING    TO    8PEM). 

In  a  very  short  time,  she  ceased  to  reflect  on  the 
new  relation  of  things  into  which  she  had  been 
brought — her  mind  being  wholly  occupied  in  the 
discharge  of  her  domestic  and  social  obligations. 
She  was  the  true  %ife  and  mother,  the  faithful 
friend,  the  self-denying  Christian — loved  and  es 
teemed  by  all  with  whom  she  was  in  any  way 
brought  into  contact. 

One  day,  as  she  sat  reading  to  her  children,  in 
the  nursery,  the  door  opened,  and  a  middle-aged 
woman  came  in.  It  was  the  reader's  old  ac 
quaintance,  Bridget.  Though  we  have  appeared 
to  lose  sight  of  her  for  a  number  of  years,  such 
was  not  the  case  with  Mr.  Lofton.  She  has  oc 
cupied,  ever  since  his  marriage,  the  same  rela 
tion  to  his  family  that  she  occupied  to  him  pre 
vious  to  that  event. 

"  Good  morning,  Bridget,"  said  Mrs.  Lofton, 
in  her  kind  way. 

"  Good  mornin',  mem,"  returned  the  Irish  wo 
man,  respectfully. 

"  You've  come  for  the  clothes  ?" 

"Yes,  mem.  And  they're  all  ready  forme. 
But,  with  yer  leave,  mem,  I'd  just  like  to  speak 
a  word  or  two,  that  I  think,  may  be,  I  ought  to 
say,  if  it's  only  for  humanity's  sake." 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  345 

"  Sit  down,  Bridget,"  said  Mrs.  Lofton,  show 
hi!!,  an  immediate  interest  in  the  proposed  com 
munication.  "  And  now,"  she  added,  as  the 
woman  took  a  chair,  "  speak  out  freely  anything 
you  have  to  say." 

"  It  is  wonderful,  though,  how  things  do  come 
about  in  this  world  1"  remarked  Bridget,  with  a 
slight  air  of  mystery,  and  then  her  eyes  tooK  a 
deliberate  survey  of  the.  room.  "  But  I  knew  it 
couldn't  always  last.  Dear — dear — dear  !"  And 
she  sighed  heavily. 

Mrs.  Lofton  waited  patiently  the  passing  away 
of  this  mood  of  mind  in  Bridget,  who  soon  came 
to  the  point  touching  the  matter  she  desired  to 
communicate. 

"  It's  about  Mrs.  Pinkerton  that  I  wished  to 
speak  with  ye,  mem,"  said  she. 

"  Of  Mrs.  Pinkerton  !  What  of  her  ?"  Mrs. 
Lofton  was  now  all  interest. 

"  Ah,  mem,  it  isn't  well  with  her  at  all,  I  can 
assure  ye." 

"  But  where  is  she,  Bridget  ?  I've  lost  sight 
of  her  for  some  time.  After  her  mother  died,  I 
was  told  that  she  had  gone  to  the  south  with  her 
husband." 

"  She's  never  been  out  of  the  city,  mem." 


346  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

"  Indeed !     And  where  is  she  now,  Bridget  ?" 

"  Ye  know  the  little  house,  out  Lexington 
street,  where  good  Mrs.  Wilson  used  to  live, 
a  long  time  ago  ?" 

"  I  have  cause  to  remember  that  house, 
Bridget,  as  you  very  well  know.  I  should  fear 
that  I  was  changing  for  the  worse,  if  I  had  for 
gotten  that  humble  dwelling.  Some  of  the 
sweetest  hours  of  my  life  were  spent  there.  But 
what  of  it,  now,  Bridget?" 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pinkerton  are  living  there." 

"Why,  Bridget!" 

"  It's  true  as  gospel,  mem.  And  that  isn't  all 
— they're  in  actual  suffering.  I  found  'em  out  a 
few  weeks  ago,  by  accident  like,  and,  since  then, 
I've  been  there  a  good  many  times.  Mr.  Pinker- 
ton  is  sick,  and  poor  Mrs.  Pinkerton  looks  like  a 
shadow.  She's  got  every  thing  to  do.  They 
don't  keep  a  girl — for  I  suppose  the  expense  is 
mor'n  they  can  afford." 

"  Oh,  dreadful !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lofton,  in 
real  distress  at  the  picture  the  humane  washer 
woman  had  drawn. 

"  It  is  dreadful,  indeed,  mem,  when  we  think 
of  how  it  was  with  'em  once  on  a  time,"  said 
Bridget.  "  Oh,  but  pride  had  an  awful  fall  in 


SPARING    TO    SPEND  347 

their  case  !  I  wonder  it  hadn't  a  killed  Mrs. 
Piukerton  outright.  And  I'm  thinking  she  would 
about  as  lief  have  died.  But  she  isn't  the* 
woman  she  was,  I  can  tell  you,  Mrs.  Lofton. — 
Oh,  no — no  ;  not  in  any  sense.  D'ye  know,  she 
said  to  me,  only  yesterday,  '  Bridget,'  says  she — 
'  Bridget' — and  she  spoke  in  such  humble  kind  o' 
way — beseechin'  like — '  couldn't  you  get  me  some 
work  from  the  clothing  stores  ?  I  think  I  might 
earn  a  little,  sewing,  on  evenings  and  odd  times, 
if  it  was  only  enough  to  keep  the  children,  poor 
things,  in  shoes.'  I  felt  choked  right  up,  Mrs. 
Lofton,  at  that.  It  did  seern  so  hard.  Poor, 
dear  lady  !  She  wasn't  brought  up  to  do  the 
likes  o'  that." 

And  the  kind-hearted  Irish  woman  wiped  her 
eyes  with  her  coarse  check  apron.  As  for  Mrs. 
Lofton,  she  did  not  attempt  to  restrain  the  tears 
that  gushed  instantly  over  her  cheeks. 

"  Before  trying  to  get  her  the  work,"  continued 
Bridget,  after  a  pause,  "  I  thought  I'd  just  c.ome 
and  tell  you  all  about  it,  as  the  best  thing  to  be 
done.  I  knew  your  heart  was  good,  and  your 
hand  liberal — and  that  if  for  nothing  else,  for  old 
remembrance  sake,  you  and  Mr.  Lofton — God 


348  bl».AlUNG     TO    SPEND. 

bless  him  for  his  many  kind  acts  ! — would   do 
something  for  the  family." 

"  We  certainly  will,  Bridget,"  was  the  quick 
reply  of  Mrs.  Lofton.  "  I  am  only  -sorry  that 
you  did  not  tell  me  about  them  sooner.  It  was 
only  a  day  or  two  ago  that  I  asked  Mr.  Lofton  if 
he  knew  anything  of  Mr.  Pinkerton  or  his 
family,  and  he  said  that,  for  some  months,  he 
had  lost  sight  of  them  altogether,  and  was  under 
the  impression  that  they  had  left  the  city.  This 
confirmed  what  I  had  previously  heard  remarked 
about  their  going  south  some  short  time  after 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Allen." 

"  It's  jest  as  I  tell  ye  mem,"  said  Bridget 
"  And  I  hope  you  will  see  them  right  soon,  for 
I  am  afraid  they  are  in  great  need." 

"  I  will  go  there  this  very  day,  Bridget." 

"  Bless  your  kind  soul !  I  knew  it  would  be 
jest  so  !"  said  the  Irish  woman,  with  the  warmth 
of  speech  peculiar  to  her  people. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  from  the  time  Bridget 
made  her  communication  to  Mrs.  Lofton,  that 
lady's  hand  was  on  the  gate  opening  into  the 
little  yard  in  front  of  the  house  occupied  by  the 
Pinkertons.  How  happy  had  she  been  with  her 
husband  in  that  humble  abode;  how  wretched 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  349 

were  they,  hiding  themselves  there  from  observa 
tion,  in  want  and  misery !  Her  tap  at  the  door 
was  answered  by  a  pale,  sad-faced  woman  in  a 
plain  morning  wrapper. 

"  Is  Mrs.  Pinkerton  at  home?"  The  question 
had  passed  the  lips  of  Mrs.  Lofton  ere  she  re 
cognized  the  changed  woman  before  her  as  the 
one  she  sought. 

"  Mrs.  Lofton  !"  was  the  low,  sad  response  of 
Mrs.  Pinkerton. 

"  Excuse  my  calling  upon  you,"  said  Mrs. 
Lofton,  as  she  grasped,  with  a  heartiness  that 
could  not  be  mistaken  for  anything  but  the  sign 
of  genuine  good-will,  the  hand  of  Mrs.  Pinker- 
ton — "  Until  to-day,  I  was  under  the  impression 
that  you  had  gone  South  with  your  husband. 
But  having  learnt  that  you  were  in  the  city, 
that  your  husband  was  sick,  and  that — "  Mrs. 
Lofton  slightly  paused,  when  Mrs.  Pinkerton 
said,  with  scarcely  a  sign  of  wounded  pride  in 
her  countenance  or  tone  of  voice — 

"  We    were    in    greatly    straitened    circum 
stances " 

"  That,  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  I  was  exceedingly 
pained  to  hear,"  continued  Mrs.  Lofton.  "  And 
BO  I  have  come,,  without  delay  or  ceremony,  tc 


350  SPARING   TO    SPEND. 

tender  such  good  offices  as  you  may  be  willing  to 
accept  at  my  hands." 

AYith  a  half-wondering  yet  grateful  look,  Mrs 
Pinkerton  gazed  for  some  moments  into  the  face 
of  her  visiter.  All  seemed  to  her  for  a  time, 
like  a  dream ;  and  she  did  not  reply  until  Mrs. 
Lofton  said — 

"  How  is  your  husband  ?  I  hope  he  is  not  very 
sick." 

"  I  hardly  know  whether  he  is  suffering  most 
'from  sickness  of  the  body  or  sickness  of  the 
mind,"  replied  Mrs.  Pinkerton.  "  In  their  union, 
however,  he  is  completely  prostrated." 

"  Is  he  in  any  business  ?" 

Mrs.  Pinkerton  merely  shook  her  head.  This 
reference  to  Mr.  Pinkerton,  and  the  rather  un 
satisfactory  response,  caused  a  slight  embarrass 
ment  on  both  sides.  It  was  quickly  removed  by 
Mrs.  Lofton,  whose  enquiries  were  made  in 
another  direction.  Some  time,  however,  elapsed 
before  she  was  able  entirely  to  break  through 
the  shrinking  reserve  of  Mrs.  Pinkerton — who 
could  not  but  have  her  thoughts  turned  back 
upon  the  past;  who  could  not  but  remember 
the  time  when  they  had  met  in  this  very  room — 
and  oh  !  under  what  a  different  relation  to  each 


SPARING     TO    SPEND.  351 

other  !  But,  all  this  soon  passed  away.  She  felt 
that  Mrs.  Lofton  had  come  to  her  as  a  real  friend, 
and  she  was  in  too  great  need  of  a  friend  to  hesi 
tate  about  meeting  the  proffered  kindness.  Ere 
they  separated,  she  had  opened  her  whole  heart 
to  Mrs.  Lofton — had  related  the  touching  particu 
lars  of  her  sad  history,  since  that  unhappy  day 
when  a  desolating  tempest  broke  suddenly  upon 
her,  while  yet  not  even  a  murmuring  prelude  of 
its  approach  had  reached  her  ears.  Scarcely  two 
years  had  passed  since  the  death  of  her  father, 
yet  in  that  time  they  had  been  reduced  to  a  con 
dition  of  utter  destitution.  After  a  fruitless  strug 
gle  with  fortune,  her  husband,  when  he  found  that 
every  attempt  to  regain  a  firm  resting  place  for 
his  feet  was  but  a  vain  effort — and  that  as  misfor 
tune  closed  darker  around  him,  former  friends 
turned  coldly  away,  while  those  who  had  him  in 
their  power  scrupled  not  to  take  from  his  pocket 
the  last  dollar  it  contained — lost  all  spirit  and  all  ac 
tivity  ;  folded  his  hands,  in  fact,  and  sat  down 
for  a  time,  idle,  gloomy  and  utterly  despondent. 
Then  he  aroused  himself,  and  made  a  feeble  ef 
fort  to  procure  employment.  But,  unsuccessful, 
he  shrunk  back  again  into  his  hiding-place.  Now 


SPACING    TO    SPEND. 

he  was  seriously  ill.  So  much  in  regard  to  him 
Mrs.  Lofton  was  able  to  gather  from  his  wife. 

A  delicate  regard  for  the  feelings  of  Mrs.  Pin- 
kerton  prevented  the  offer  of  money  or  direct  re 
lief  of  any  kind.  That  would  have  seemed  too 
much  like  charity.  But  Mrs.  Lofton  spoke  to  her 
encouragingly,  and  in  a  way  to  inspire  the  most 
lively  hopes. 

"  My  husband,"  said  she,  "  has  not  the  most 
distant  idea  of  Mr.  Pinkerton's  real  situation. 
The  moment  he  hears  of  it  he  will  call  to  see  him  ; 

and  as  he  has  it  in  his  power,  so  will  it  be  in  his 

_ 
mind   to   aid   him.     Take  heart  then,  my  dear 

madam.  The  darkest  hour,  you  know,  is  just 
before  the  break  of  day.  You  have  reached  the 
lowest  point  in  the  descending  circle,  and  now 
the  movement  must  be  upward  again." 

Mrs.  Pinkerton  shook  her  head — "It  will  never 
be  upward  with  us,  I  fear.  We  abused  our  posi 
tion  and  our  privileges — I  say  it  in  sorrow  and 
humility — and  we  may  never  hope  to  see  them 
return." 

"  You  may  never  rise  so  high  again,"  replied 
Mrs.  Lofton.  :<  But  your  happiness  needs  not  de 
pend  on  that.  It  is  born  of  no  external  condition. 
Believe  me,  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  I  was  as  truly  happy 


SPARING   TO    SPEND.  353 

in  this  room  as  I  have  ever  been  in  my  life.  And 
so  may  you  be.  With  food  and  raiment,  we  should 
all  learn,  to  be  content.  This  is  true  Christian 
philosophy.  Live  no  longer  for  yourself — think 

& 

no  longer  of  yourself — but  let  your  best  wishes 
and  your  best  efforts  be  for  your  husband  and 
children.  You  will  find  in  this  a  rich  reward. 
Paint  not — murmur  not.  There  is  sunshine  on 
the  path  of  every  one ;  even  though  at  times  the 
rays  be  few  and  feeble." 

If  Mrs.  Pinkerton  had  not  been  able  to  see  the 
rays  of  sunshine  on  her  path  before  the  visit  of 
Mrs.  Lofton,  she  saw  them  plainly  enough  now. 
They  were  falling  here  and  there  around  her ;  for 
a  broad  rift  was  in  the  cloud  which  had  so  long 
enveloped  her  sky. 

Pained  as  well  as  surprised,  was  Mr.  Lofton  at 
the  intelligence  his  wife  had  to  communicate  on 
his  return  from  business.  He  lost  not  a  moment 
in  visiting  Pinkerton,  whom  he  found  so  utterly 
prostrate  in  body  and  mind  as  to  be  almost  be 
yond  the  inspiration  of  hope.  But  the  unhappy 
man  soon  perceived  the  real  interest  felt  for  him 
by  an  early  friend,  and  that  friend  one  possessing 
full  power  to  give  the  aid  of  which  he  stood  so 
much  in  need.  This  quickened  a  new  life  within 


OUt  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

him,  and  did  more  to  check  the  bodily  disease 
from  which  he  was  suffering,  than  all  the  physi 
cian's  skill. 

"  Are  you  in  any  business  ?"  enquired  Mr.  Lof 
ton,  as  soon  as  the  mind  of  Pinkerton  had  been 
awakened  into  some  kind  of  activity.  This  was 
on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit. 

"  None,"  was  gloomily  answered. 

"  Would  you  be  willing  to  accept  a  clerkship 
at  a  moderate  salary  ?" 

"  Willing,  Mr.  Lofton  !  Not  only  willing  but 
truly  thankful  for  such  an  opportunity  to  get 
bread  for  rny  family,"  was  the  earnest  reply. 

"  Very  well.  I  will  see  to-morrow  what  can 
be  done  for  you.  A  secretary  is  to  be  appointed 
next  week  in  one  of  our  Insurance  Companies, 
and  as  I  am  a  Director,  and  possess  considerable 
influence  in  the  Board,  there  will  be  little  dif 
ficulty  in  getting  you  the  appointment.  The 
salary  is  a  thousand  dollars." 

"  My  earliest  and  now  latest  friend !"  said 
Pinkerton,  with  visible  emotion,  as  he  grasped 
the  hand  of  Lofton — "How  shall  I  express  my 
thankfulness  and  gratitude?  To-day  all  hope 
had  died  out  of  my  heart !  Sick,  broken-spirited, 
destitute,  I  felt  that  I  was  forsaken  of  God  as  well 


SPARING    TO    SPEND.  355 

as  man.  But  your  good  wife  came  in  as  an  angel 
of  mercy,  throwing  a  few  gleams  of  light  across 
the  frowning  sky;  and  now  you  are  here  filling  the 
whole  air  with  sunshine.  God  bless  you,  my 
kind  friend !  God  bless  you  !" 

He  was  silent  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  re 
sumed — "  I  have  been  a  very  foolish,  reckless 
man,  Mr.  Lofton,  as  you  know  but  too  well. — 
How  often  have  I  thought  of  your  steady,  safe, 
upward  movement — slow,  cautious,  but  sure.  I 
used  to  call  it  dull  plodding,  and  I  deemed  you 
lacking  in  enterprise  and  true  business  capacity. 
Ah  !  if  I  had  but  taken  a  few  lessons  from  your 
example,  how  different  would  all  have  been  with 
me  now.  What  a  desperate  game  I  played  !  1 
only  wonder  that  fortune  favored  me  so  long. 
But  I  have  suffered  a  terrible  penalty.  I  have 
drained  the  cup  of  consequences,  even  to  the 
dregs.  For  myself,  I  might  not  have  cared  so 
much,  had  the  power  remained  with  rne  to  re 
move  that  bitter  cup  from  the  lips  of  those  I 
loved." 

"  The  bitterness,  I  trust,  is  past  now,"  said 
Mr.  Lofton,  encouragingly.  "  And  had  I  known 
how  it  was  with  you — had  you  come  to  rne  ere 
overtaken  by  so  sad  an  extremity — much  that 


350  SPARING    TO    SPEND. 

you  and  yours  have  suffered  might  have  been  pre 
vented." 

"  But  do  you  think,  Mr.  Lofton,"  said  the  other, 
with  some  little  anxiety  in  the  tones  of  his  voice, 
"  that  I  stand  anything  like  a  fair  chance  for  the 
situation  you  have  mentioned?  There  will  be  other 
applicants  who  may  have  strong  friends  in  the 
Board." 

"  Give  yourself  no  uneasiness  about  that,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Lofton.  "  If  I  do  not  succeed  there,  I 
will  in  some  other  quarter.  You  have  good  capa 
city  and  knowledge  of  business,  and  these  are  al 
ways  in  demand.  Let  your  heart  be  entirely  at 
rest.  In  the  mean  time,  the  wants  of  your 
family  must  be  supplied.  There  " — and  he  placed 
a  small  package  of  bills  in  the  hand  of  Mr.  Pin- 
kerton — "  are  a  hundred  dollars.  Use  the  money 
as  you  have  need.  Consider  it  a  loan  for  twelve 
months ;  or  longer,  if  need  be.  As  for  Mrs.  Pin- 
kerton,  I  hope  she  will  regard  my  wife  as  a  real 
friend  who  desires  to  serve  her." 

Pinkerton  had  no  words  to  express  his  grati 
tude.  In  the  weakness  of  mind  and  body,  he 
gave  way  to  a  rush  of  feeling,  and  wept  like  a 
child.  While  he  was  yet  vainly  struggling  with 
this  overpowering  emotion,  Lofton  arose,  and 


_ 

SPARING    TO     SPEND.  357* 

after  whispering,  as  he  bent  to  his  ear,  a  fow 
words  of  encouragement,  retired  from  the  house 
and  took  his  way  homeward. 

In  two  weeks  from  that  day,  Mr.  Pinkerton  en 
tered  upon  his  duties  as  Secretary  of  the In 
surance  Company.  How  changed  he  was  to  the 
eyes  of  every  one  !  It  seemed  almost  impossible 
for  two  years  to  have  so  marred  the  countenance 
and  worn  down  the  vigorous  frame.  Some  scarcely 
recognized  the  subdued,  low  spoken,  humbled 
man,  as  he  quietly  discharged  the  duties  of  his 
office.  One  act,  following  right  early  upon  this 
change  of  fortune,  marked  a  new  and  better  state 
of  mind.  Aunt  Mary  Jones  was  removed  from 
the  alrns-house,  whither  she  had  been  sent  in 
her  sickness  and  poverty,  and  tafren  into  his  own 
home,  where  she  quickly  won  to  herself  the  love 
of  all.  Sorrow  and  suffering  had  given  to  Mrs. 
Pinkerton  a  purified  vision,  and  she  early  saw  the 
almost  angel-qualities  of  good  Aunt  Mary,  and 
found  in  her  a  faithful  counsellor — a  wise  and 
loving  friend.  How  soon  she  began  to  lean  or 
and  to  confide  in  her.  To  perceive  in  her  pure 
principles  a  consistent  faith  in  God,  a  power  to 
sustain  the  heart  amid  all  trials.  The  wish  to  be 
like  her  was,  to  Mrs.  Pinkerton,  the  beginning  of 


3o8  SPARING    TO     SPEND. 

a  new  state.  A  germ  from  heaven  was  implanted 
in  her  mind.  In  due  time,  it  swelled  with  in 
fluent  life,  and  soon  the  tender  green  leaves  ex 
panded  to  the  dews  and  sunshine,  giving  prom 
ise  of  a  goodly  plant.  A  trial  it  was  to  Mrs. 
Pinkerton  when  Aunt  Mary,  a  stranger  of  whom 
she  had  scarcely  heard,  was  brought  into  her 
house  as  a  permanent  inmate.  As  cordially  as 
it  was  in  her  power,  under  the  circumstances,  did 
she  welcome  her  when  she  came.  But  how  little 
dreamed  she  at  the  time,  of  entertaining  an  angel 
unawares. 

Ten  more  years  have  glided  away.  As  to  the 
Loftons,  no  change,  worthy  of  record  here,  has 
transpired.  The  Pinkertons  have,  during  the  time, 
been  slowly  on  the  upward  movement.  Mark  Pin 
kerton  is  a  man  possessing  large  experience  and 
no  ordinary  business  capacity  These  have 
enabled  him  again  to  form  an  advantageous  con 
nexion.  But  he  is  in  no  danger,  we  believe,  of 
receding  into  former  errors.  The  lessons  of  the 
past  are  graven  too  deeply  on  his  memory. 


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